Home Improvement: Anyone get overwhelmed with how much there is always left to remodel? |
- Anyone get overwhelmed with how much there is always left to remodel?
- Urgent help needed - heating stopped working and we have two small birds that can't handle the cold
- Whole house generator - test under load or not?
- Tile over rough concrete?
- Is our landlord full of **** or is this really nothing to worry about?
- City requesting to attach water hose for neighbors
- Tips on vinyl tile for bathroom and toilet is too far off the ground.
- Getting started..
- Mold?
- Kitchen Design from Hell
- One bathroom - is it a bad idea to remove the tub?
- Replacing Fluorescent Light
- what to do about gap between walls, garage and crawlspace
- Back of washing machine and hose ends are electrically charged.
- Repairing bulging and uneven plaster walls?
- Want to finish a room in our house, what should we NOT do ourselves?
- Tankless Hot Water Units - Why so varied in price?
- Downstairs neighbor's cigarettes and cooking smells coming through range hood
- Fishy smell when water heater runs
- Painting a 2-story foyer on a staircase
- Adding insulated flooring over concrete for home gym
- Water Damage 1st Floor Ceiling below Bathtub. Help?
- Advice and Cost for Replacing Kitchen Cabinets
| Anyone get overwhelmed with how much there is always left to remodel? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 10:57 AM PST We moved in our home over 15 years ago and still have so much left to fix. It is overwhelming and honestly I wonder if all this is even worth it. Maybe money better spent in buying an investment property or even throwing more into my 401k. This is what we have left, what would you tackle first: 1. Need new windows in order to get hurricane credit on insurance, but hurricane credit is only 1000 per year and new windows around 18k, so we aren't in a rush. 2. Need to install wood and new railing on stairs 3. Need to flooring upstairs and all upstairs bedrooms 4. Need to redo masterbath 5. Need to baseboards, door casings and doors upstairs, including closets. [link] [comments] |
| Urgent help needed - heating stopped working and we have two small birds that can't handle the cold Posted: 05 Jan 2021 08:14 PM PST (Updated below) Apparently at some point last night, our heating stopped working. We have radiators & a tankless boiler (which I think our radiators are connected to). It is set at 21.5°c (70.5f) last night, and the thermostat is now reading that it is 16.5°c (61.5f) and still going down. We can handle the cold until it's fixed, but our birds can't. We have two conures, and the lowest temperature they should be at is 65°f. It's just barely above freezing outside. It's 5am, so it's going to be some time still until I can call anyone to come out, never mind how long it takes them to actually come here & fix it. Can anyone here possibly tell me what's wrong or what I can try to do to fix it? Images & more info here: http://imgur.com/gallery/qDLVvvU UPDATE: someone made a comment that reminded me we had a small infrared lamp packed away somewhere. Found it and put them into the same cage (Coco bit me as I was taking her out of her cage, just to let me know 5:30am is too early to get up lol) and aimed the lamp at it, they should be nice and warm until we can get a service tech out here. Thanks guys!!! [link] [comments] |
| Whole house generator - test under load or not? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 06:56 PM PST This is a good group so I'm going to ask here. I recently had a whole-house 22kw natural gas generator installed. It's set to exerciser once a week using quite-mode and runs for ~5 minutes during this test. I wonder though, should I actually have it transfer over the house during the test? Or maybe just do it once a month/quarter/year? I know we regularly test our generators under load at work. All my Google searches keep turning up a professional "load test" which is where they intentionally put the generator under max (or near max) load to make sure it's performing as intended. I can't seem to find anything stating the proper test method. My thought at this point is just to run it under load once a year for a bit before I do the oil/filter change. Well if it hasn't run for an outage a month or two before that which will be unlikely. Any thoughts? Thanks all! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2021 07:20 PM PST We recently had major work done in our basement: foundation support, waterproofing, and major overhaul of our plumbing. Once it was all done, our plan is to slowly refinish the basement, starting with our laundry area. The plan is to lay underlayment over the concrete (likely using Ditra or similar product), then tiling. However, the new concrete where the plumbing work was done is rough. Do we need to do a thin layer of concrete to smooth this out, or can we proceed as planned? Location in case it matters: Metro Detroit area. [link] [comments] |
| Is our landlord full of **** or is this really nothing to worry about? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 10:30 AM PST Reference photos (August vs now) We reported to our landlord the progression of this ceiling crack from August until now. His suggestion after "having experts review the photos" (🙄) is to repair it ourselves by following a YouTube video (I'll put in comments) A crack this large surrounded by water spots seems to be a bit more critical than he's suggesting, and he fits the stereotype of an extremely cheap, do-nothing landlord, so I'm a bit suspicious. Should we be worried, or is he correct in saying it's a simple patch job? ETA: don't worry, this isn't something we'd be doing without reimbursement. We've done enough for this guy (the house was baaaaad when we first got here due to years of neglect). We're out of this place later this year, thank god. I'm just seeing if this is really just a "patch and don't worry" kind of thing like he says or if our ceiling is going to collapse on us one day. Also for reference this is a one story house, so the roof is what's above it. Hopefully this helps clear up some stuff. Thank you all! [link] [comments] |
| City requesting to attach water hose for neighbors Posted: 05 Jan 2021 01:24 PM PST I'm wondering if this is normal? Or should we be concerned about doing this? We received a call from our city requesting to run a hose from our house to our neighbors house. They would attach it now and it would remain there until at least April. Our neighbors pipes froze up at the street it sounds like. Some things to know: -We live in a very cold winter climate. It's been mild so far but it is very normal to experience weeks below zero during the winter. -They said they would run the hose through an insulated pipe. -They said our water bill would remain the same. The overage above our average would be charged to our neighbors. -We absolutely want to help our neighbors if this is the only solution. It just seems strange to us. Concerns we have: -water damage to our home if things freeze up -if something goes wrong, a strain in our relationship with our neighbors -something just seems fishy and it feels like the city is trying to get out of spending money to do the hard job. The city said they can not dig until spring. So...back to my questions...is this a normal response from the city? Should we be concerned? Thanks for any insight you may have. [link] [comments] |
| Tips on vinyl tile for bathroom and toilet is too far off the ground. Posted: 05 Jan 2021 10:06 PM PST We removed some really messed up tiles in the basement bathroom and paid to have a new toilet installed. I planned on doing the floor after the toilet was installed, but did not expect it to be so far off the ground. The plumber did say that it was an unusually long stem and that it would be not good to use the toilet until the floor was installed. He mentioned that the warranty on the install would be void if we removed the toilet while doing the install. So, I am looking for a way to properly install vinyl tile on a cement floor that needs to be lifted(I'm guessing with wood panels under it?). I did an install of vinyl tile in the 1st floor and I installed wood paneling before it, but I just nailed that into the wood that was below it. I am not sure how to handle the cement down here? Do I use cement nails? Do I use some other way to secure the wood panels down. Or is there some other magic I need to do here to make this all work. Here is a picture of the bathroom floor and toilet Please let me know if there is any more info that could help with a solution or any more pictures you would like. I am EST time so I will most likely be replying during 8am-11pm. Thank you all for any help you give!! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2021 10:04 PM PST I am a recent homeowner of a 30/40 year old home n while it has its quirks, its becoming home quickly. I am finding I want to do some bathroom sink updates and placing some more lighting within the house here and there but don't know how to get started. Especially on the bathroom sink which is attached to the walls and mirror and would need some major demo. Do y'all have any advice? Whether on hiring someone or trying to attempt myself. Anything is appreciated [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2021 08:56 PM PST I know this might not be the right sub to ask this but if anyone is knowledgeable about this stuff, if I can get advise please. My wife and I and our 9 month old just moved in to a basement unit apartment and 2 months in we noticed that in the morning there would be water on one of the corners of the living room, me knowing what wet drywall does I went to Home Depot and bought a mold test kit. I did the test and after I contacted the property management and send someone to fix the problem, well it wasn't fixed and I had told the guy that I'm sure there's mold in this place he then said that they had fixed a leak at our places before moving in, so something tells me this whole place has mold, and my wife's asthma is acting up and she's wheezing and I'm experiencing some stuff too. Oh and the home test kit definitely shows mold so I have hat to prove as well. Anyone got advice on how to handle this? I'd very much would appreciate it. Thank you. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2021 06:23 PM PST Hi all! Long time lurker. I have been going crazy trying to figure out an effective kitchen design here. It's a pretty closed off space. Door next to the stove leads to the basement and walkway leads to dining room. Side door leads to outside. Anyone have any thoughts? Need to account for a fridge as well! [link] [comments] |
| One bathroom - is it a bad idea to remove the tub? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 08:56 AM PST Hello! I own an old wartime bungalow that only has one tiny bathroom. I'm starting to plan out a face lift for the bathroom and I'd like to remove the tub and put a walk in shower instead. Eventually, I'd like to put in another bathroom but let's say I decide to sell the home before I get to that point, will the lack of bathtub have a significant effect on resale value? Edit: it's only a small 2 bedroom home, very family friendly area but you'd be limited to one child, there's just no space. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2021 03:17 PM PST Recently bought a house and have been working my way around replacing a lot of questionable light fixtures. The main bedroom closet had a big fluorescent tube light fixture. I figure no problem, I'll swap it out for a basic led/incandescent one. To my surprise I first find there's no junction box, just a wire sticking out of the ceiling under the old fixture. Okay, I'll add an old work box, feed the wire through there. Turns out the wire is stapled *right* inside the drywall to a ceiling joist. Here's what I'm looking at: Any ideas on how to proceed? I know my way around a lot of different things but I feel like I'm getting to the edge of my electrical skill. Is this something I can work around or am I looking at a need to rewire? [link] [comments] |
| what to do about gap between walls, garage and crawlspace Posted: 05 Jan 2021 05:46 PM PST Hi everyone, my situation is a bit challenging for me to explain in words so please see the photos here. Basically, pests and air could go move from the crawlspace to the area between the walls because there are gaps between the wall studs and crawlspace areas. Again, see photos for better understanding of what I'm describing. What's the best way to close up the gaps to prevent stuff from moving through the crawlspace and gap between walls? One idea I had was to cut to fit a 2x4 between the studs and nail it to where the horizontal beam is just below where the interior wall would start. I would cut holes for any pipes like the black one and seal around it with some foam spray, such as Great Stuff. What do y'all think? [link] [comments] |
| Back of washing machine and hose ends are electrically charged. Posted: 05 Jan 2021 07:49 PM PST 14 month old maytag washer. I happened to reach back behind my washer during a cycle and got a zing on my arm and fingers. I put multimeter probes on the hot/cold brass hose ends and was getting around 110 volts. This happens on both the washer and washer box ends. It also only happens when the machine is filling. As soon as the solenoid valve shuts the voltage drops to 0. I checked the gfci outlet with a tester and it's fine. Wtf [link] [comments] |
| Repairing bulging and uneven plaster walls? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 07:34 PM PST Hi all, Recently just purchased a home built in the 1910's. It has a mixture of drywall, plaster, and paneling throughout the home. It seems as if the previous owners began to replace some of the plastered walls, but never got around to completely finishing every room. In the one bedroom which is being used as an office there is some spots where it is bulging really far out and there isn't any play when I push it back towards the wall. This is the worst area in the entire house, other rooms had some minor issues but a fresh coat of paint hid them. It seems as if at one point it was water damaged (maybe roof leaked and ran down walls) but never fixed, or is it just aging plaster from furniture being placed up against walls (dresser and bed were in that area during walkthrough)? I checked the attic again today (Aside from the home inspection) and it doesn't seems as if there was any massive amounts of moisture building up in those sides of the house. Roof is an older metal seamed roof with lathing, no sheathing. I am planning to paint this room soon and was just curious if there is a cost effective way of repairing this without completely replacing the plaster with drywall. Pictures are attached below, any feedback or suggestions would be a huge help! Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/AsfSqDB [link] [comments] |
| Want to finish a room in our house, what should we NOT do ourselves? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 12:29 PM PST Just bought a house that has a 11x22 unfinished room. One wall (and half another) has insulation, and the room has electricity. It has a light that works and 5 plugs around the room that all work. We have flooring left over from our first floor (vinyl plank) and all the original paint from the builder. I'm assuming we need to finish insulating, hang and finish drywall, install the flooring, and put in a ceiling(??). I'm leaning toward contracting out the drywall because I've heard it's messy, tedious, and if it doesn't look good, you can really tell. I'm pretty handy and artsy and good at woodworking and tinkering with things. My husband is.....uh, he's strong and can lift things 😅 so basically my pregnant self would be doing most of the process, but I do have some muscle to help. If you were me, what would you contract out? Would you attempt to do it all yourself, or do you think it's too big of a project to take on for new homeowners? Here's the uninsulated portion of the room. If the window is north, the south wall is insulated, as well as half of the west wall. The HVAC is on the west wall and is peeking out in the photo (I'm guessing that's why they left the room unfinished, it's kind of just a huge HVAC closet). We probably won't do much to cover that up, it's going to be an office and workshop/craft space. [link] [comments] |
| Tankless Hot Water Units - Why so varied in price? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 05:07 AM PST I am looking to replace my old hot water tank with a tankless unit at some point but was wondering why there is a a huge discrepancy in pricing between units? I own a place currently, but honestly don't know if I'll be owning for longer than say 5 years before moving on due to a growing family etc. What is stopping me from getting an average price one from Home Depot and getting someone to install it opposed to getting a considerably more expensive one? I'm looking to buy out, not a rental. Surely even the lower level ones should give me a few good years? Any thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Downstairs neighbor's cigarettes and cooking smells coming through range hood Posted: 05 Jan 2021 05:03 PM PST Help! We've lived in our rented apartment for about a year now and aside from occasionally smelling our downstairs neighbors smoking when we have the windows open, they haven't really bothered us... ...until yesterday. Out of nowhere our apartment was flooded with horrible smells - I'm talking fried food + cigarettes + air fresheners. Turns out our downstairs neighbors just installed a brand new range hood (they own), which connects to the same ductwork ours does. Is it possible that their fancy new fan is so powerful that it's forcing their bad air through the ducts into our apartment (past the damper) instead of up and out towards the roof? What can we do? [link] [comments] |
| Fishy smell when water heater runs Posted: 05 Jan 2021 07:04 PM PST Having a hard time finding what's going on, esp since I'm renting a townhome in an apartment complex. Maintenance guy took a look at it and "found nothing wrong" (in his initial report) despite the fact the basement and first floor of our townhouse fill with this smell when the dishwasher or shower runs but we hadn't used either for days so there was no smell when he came. The maintenance dude said it should be good after he implied he tightened the connections so we ran the dishwasher to see and nope, still, the fishy smell fills the basement. The hot water does not smell. The articles I've found focus on smelly water. That's not the issue. It's only when the water heater runs the fishy smell appears. This is a new water heater. Our old one died after 28 years of use and they replaced it in September. The smell just started a few days after Christmas. What might be the issue so I can better direct the maintenance guy or get my family out if there is a danger? [link] [comments] |
| Painting a 2-story foyer on a staircase Posted: 05 Jan 2021 06:58 PM PST Hi Reddit! I'm hoping to get some help, since the internet has been less than helpful. I need to paint a 2-story staircase with a foyer. Highest point, at the bottom of the stairs is 18 feet. It's ~12 feet from the tallest wall to the top of the staircase. I'm 5'2", so I really need to get up there. I'm hoping someone (with experience) can steer me in the right direction with recommending/procuring a plank that can safely support the weight of a human and supplies. I've had a couple hillbilly janky suggestions from family, but I value my safety more than the wall color, so I'm hoping someone with real experience can make a decent suggestion. Also, for reference, I have an 18 foot straight ladder and a 6 foot a-frame ladder that has adjustable legs that I plan to run the plank through. [link] [comments] |
| Adding insulated flooring over concrete for home gym Posted: 05 Jan 2021 06:54 PM PST Hey folks, I'm building a workshop/home-gym out of an old 8x16, brick "garage". I'm going to be insulating it because it is basically a giant heat sink and winters suck. In addition to the walls/ceiling I'm currently considering putting in 1x6' deck boards laid flat OVER the concrete floor, covered with 3/4" plywood, and spaced with insulating foam. So I want to know the wisdom of this. The most weight I will ever be putting on a bar would be like 200lbs - I'm not a big dude. So If I'm dropping 200lbs from deadlift-height how narrow should the 1x6s be spaced Alternatively I'll ask: how should I construct a wood-framed floor for weight lifting? ALL advice/comments welcome! [link] [comments] |
| Water Damage 1st Floor Ceiling below Bathtub. Help? Posted: 05 Jan 2021 10:39 PM PST So, a few days ago, we noticed water damage directly below the toilet. Pierced a hole in the ceiling & noted leaking whenever we flushed. So we replaced the Toilet Seal & it seemed to be fixed. Now a new unrelated, (or maybe related?) Issue: Last night (24 hrs ago) I took a bath. Then tonight I notice water damage below the bathtub now, the same size & shape as the tub. I tend to fill the tub to the brim, so could it be due to the overflow leaking? Maybe we just need to replace the gasket?? Thanks so much for any advice. Pictures of tub, ceiling [link] [comments] |
| Advice and Cost for Replacing Kitchen Cabinets Posted: 05 Jan 2021 06:52 PM PST We are about a year into our new home and I've been doing quite a bit of projects fixing up the house. The next "big ticket" item I want to do is replace our kitchen cabinets. The owner before us put in some beautiful granite counters on top of these old, shitty kitchen cabinets. Why, I don't know. They are the old exposed hinge style, hollow core, and have been painted at least a couple times over. I either want to replace all the cabinets completely, or replace all drawer/slides and doors/hinges and finish the boxes with a matching vaneer. Painting is not something I'm interested in doing. What have you done? How much did it cost you? Where did you get them? Any recommendations? Thanks!! [link] [comments] |
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