Home Improvement: Anyone here had to cope with losing the person that taught them everything they know about home improvement. |
- Anyone here had to cope with losing the person that taught them everything they know about home improvement.
- Never assume... anything
- Home Depot paint sticks are 1/8" thick
- Hey guys ik it’s kinda weird that I’m on here cause I’m a kid but I’m getting my room redone and I’m wondering what colour would go best with gray A a dark blue B a light green
- Homeowner struggling with 48” W reach-in closets and very minimal skills
- Best handheld vacuum for cleaning up?
- Are pavers much more expensive than poured concrete for a driveway? What the benefits of each?
- Eco water systems softener quote
- Adding electrical outlet
- Broken towel bar
- Painting/Washing Brick
- Furnace questions from first-time homeowner
- Linear feet measurement
- Soft drywall mud
- Does this look right to you?
- Laminate flooring transition from bedroom to hallway?!
- Shower Squealing - Water Pressure issue?
- Patching holes in concrete
- Foundation crack seepage question?
- Length of Overlap for Sistered Floor Joist
- Range hood replacement help
- Spiral staircase with motion-triggered LED lights
- Valor Barrier DiY insallation in crawlspace, is 12mil good?
- Attic safe squirrel repellent
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 12:13 PM PST My dad bounced from construction job to construction job, specializing in high end residential homes. He could do everything. Electrical, plumbing, rough and finish carpentry, masonry. And he was a perfectionist. Thousands of projects, and I never saw him encounter a problem he couldn't finish out beautifully. He begrudgingly let me start helping when I was 8, letting me shovel pea gravel and laying pavers. Once he realized I loved it, he tried to teach me as much as possible. I can call him with any issue on my house, and he can diagnose and walk be through fixing it over the phone. I've renovated my home for pennies because of him, and there is STILL so much I want to absorb. I still need to call him every project for some unexpected problem I can't solve. Or just reassurance that I didn't massively fuck something up. It's a 50/50, with him telling me the better way to do it almost always. Construction is hard on the body and he's been having issues for 20 years. He has fallen into late stage heart failures and only has a few months. I spent all day crying in my half finished foyer, not sure how I'd ever sell this crappy little first home because every Reno was a memory with him. He's a hard man and we only ever really connect or bonded working on projects together. It's hard for a lot of reason, but honestly thinking about trying to do a project, getting into a bind, and not being able to call him to help destroys me. I know this is less about home improvement and more about grief, but just wondering if anyone successful kept learning and doing home improvement after their main support/teacher was gone. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 05:41 AM PST A quick story about making assumptions. Moved into my house about a year ago. It came with a dishwasher, but it was a bottom-of-the-line model and quite gross, so I never used it (never had one before so nbd for me). Finally got around to buying a new one last week, yay. So I rip the old one out, went pretty easily. New one looks easy to install- hook up water, hook up drain, hook up power. Can't direct wire without an additional piece, so had to put in an outlet, no big deal. Old dishwasher was plumbed into the garbage disposal for drainage already. Get everything hooked up and I'm ready to run my first load. Starts going, but after about 10 minutes I get an error code. Look it up, it's not draining properly. Could be a pump issue, but I hear it trying. Could be something in filter, but it's clean. Maybe the line could be kinked from pushing back. It was a tight fit with the existing hole, so I drill a new hole for the drainage tube further back. Run it again- Still got the error. Getting frustrated, really hope my brand new Bosch didn't come with a bad pump. My mistake: Considering there was a dishwasher in place for at least 15 years, hooked into the garbage disposal, I didn't think it was out of line to assume that the waste water was already going where it needed to. Nope. The knockout on the garbage disposal drain plug was never actually knocked out. The old dishwasher was never actually draining anywhere, and the previous owner apparently didn't care enough to fix it. Tl;dr - Don't assume. Don't rule out anything while troubleshooting without confirming. [link] [comments] |
| Home Depot paint sticks are 1/8" thick Posted: 18 Jan 2021 09:22 PM PST ... this makes them perfect for setting up the gap between backsplash and the countertop. and they're free. I'll be putting Arlington box extenders in to be 2017 NEC compliant. Home Depot yardsticks are 1/4" thick. They cost $1.00. I use them for spacing engineering flooring the correct gap from the wall. I cut them up into 3-4" sections and staple them to the bottom edge of the wall. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:25 PM PST |
| Homeowner struggling with 48” W reach-in closets and very minimal skills Posted: 18 Jan 2021 05:31 PM PST So, I'm really struggling with the winter doldrums this year and decided to tackle the problem by tackling the biggest problem in my home: we have no storage. I want to start with two upstairs closets that currently only have a wire shelf and a rod. In the guest bedroom 47.5" W x 22" D x 96" H closet, I plan to store linens, my 10000 throw blankets and pillows (don't judge), and those clothes I dream of someday wearing again/save for fat weeks. Then, I need to get my 48" W x 22" D office closet up and running: space for art supplies (many many markers, paints, colored pencils, fabrics, glues, tapes, various papers... there's a lot), a filing cabinet, a fireproof safe, gift wrap supplies, plus shelves for a bunch of binders/books/paper. This needs to be easily adaptable into a clothing closet for future homeowners. The trouble is, I don't know what I'm doing. Every YouTube video is like "and then I casually went to my garage wood shop, cut everything to size, etc." and pre-made closets in the sizes that fit my needs are stupid pricey. I don't know how to pick the right hardware from Home Depot or Lowe's or Wayfair's online stores. Pinterest is only good for setting impossible standards. I want to get this right; don't want to have to redo it again after a series of mistakes, like a bad paint job. But I don't know what I'm doing. So, do you have any advice, tips, suggestions? A closet system I haven't heard of yet? A how to guide? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| Best handheld vacuum for cleaning up? Posted: 18 Jan 2021 06:31 PM PST Looking for a handheld vacuum suggestions for cleaning up those small jobs around the house (drilling that hole and making a mess) [link] [comments] |
| Are pavers much more expensive than poured concrete for a driveway? What the benefits of each? Posted: 18 Jan 2021 03:48 PM PST We are ready to replace our driveway and like the look of pavers, but I wonder if the cost would outweigh the benefits for a 1200 sf driveway. Have any of you found a way to minimize costs without sacrificing the look you want? Stamped concrete looks cheap to us, and other styles, like pebble concrete outlined in brick don't seem to match our house's style, which is something of a Tudor bungalow. The house is modest, but charming, and we want to play it up, not down (with, say, a simple poured concrete driveway). By the way, the driveway we are replacing is one of those where, originally, a car would travel on two concrete strips with what I suppose was gravel in between, but that gravel area was filled with concrete at one point as well. It is all severely cracked and undermined by water intrusion, so really in need of replacing. [link] [comments] |
| Eco water systems softener quote Posted: 18 Jan 2021 10:21 PM PST So we went to Costco and signed up for a water test. When we got done with a sales pitch and were quoted $8500 for a home system err3700, a hero 385 reverse osmosis and an air filter hw deluxe. We believe this to be very high. The sales man said there is no negotiating on price. Is this number reasonable for the products at all? It would include install but as a do it yourself person is seems like it would be pretty straight forward in my go house. I can't find much information on it or anything that compares in price. We will be seeking other quotes and a shocked the first one was so high. 1200sqfoot home with 2 adults one infant Cheers! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 01:31 PM PST I want to add another electrical outlet above an existing one in my living room for a mounted tv. I plan to wire the new outlet to the existing one. Problem is the existing outlet is not grounded. What are my options short of running a new grounded wire back to the box as it's not really feasible with the existing plaster walls. Can I just use a gfci outlet? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 05:00 PM PST So my 3 year old decided it's a great idea to try and climb the towel rack. Long storey short... We have a broken towel bar. I've searched for replacement bars online just I'm not sure how to install them. You see our builder fixed the holders onto the wall somehow I don't know. There are no screw holes and there is no wiggle to the holders. Instead of tearing a hole in my wall I was hoping you would have a recommendation. I don't know the brand, there is none labeled. I suspect it's something like a Moen based on many of the fixtures are. The broken towel bar is 2 ft x 25/32" x 25/32" or 60.96cm x 2cm x 2cm. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 05:31 PM PST Bought a house with ugly and damaged red brick. We will replace siding to white so considering painting/washing the bricks to white. What's the difference/pros/cons with acid wash vs painting vs other methods? [link] [comments] |
| Furnace questions from first-time homeowner Posted: 18 Jan 2021 09:15 PM PST I'm trying to learn the basics of various mechanicals in the house and correct anything that might be wrong. Background: I'm a recent first-time homeowner of a recently built home. It has become obvious that the previous homeowner didn't do anything to maintain the home, and I'm trying to be better. I'm pretty handy but certainly not an expert in construction and trade type things — mostly just an unfortunate combination of curiosity and an overwhelming sense of responsibility for my life savings in this home. First up, my furnace! Here's a link to some photos: furnace photos Specific questions for anyone generous enough to share their knowledge: 1) The main airflow duct away from the furnace has a weighted lever arm that was set in such a way that the short black arm was on 0 airflow. I'm assuming that's not right and changed it to lie in between 0 and 1. Is that right? 2) There is a plastic cover over what I assume is an air intake from an unfinished basement room. I can't think of a reason that any intake should be closed off. Should I remove? 3) On the furnace, there appear to be two PVC flues? Is this right or have I misunderstood what I'm looking at? Also, what are the other lines (green, blue, yellow arrows) in the picture? 4) There are three lines—one PVC, one copper, one flexible hose—going to a central drain in the floor. Are these all some sort of condensation drain? There appear to be dried water marks near one of the PVC fittings. Does this need to be repaired? 5) There is a small and very slow trickle of water coming from one of the flue fittings. Can I seal with water epoxy or do I need to do something more drastic? This is an amazing community and I thank you for your help in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 09:02 PM PST Hi All - i measured my baseboards that need to be replaced so that a company could give a quote. It's a smallish house, 1400 sq ft. i measured a total of 128 linear feet. To me, this makes sense. I literally just measured all of my existing baseboards in inches and divided by 12. The company told me, no you did it wrong, it must be closer to 1000. i'm like you're probably confusing linear and square footage... and then they went on to try and explain linear footage to me (which they did correctly). But if i'm right, 1000 linear feet is HUGE correct? Help! The guy is coming tomorrow to talk lol thanks!! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:58 PM PST OK, I'm going crazy and I need help. A remodeling and renovation company opened up some walls to add pillars. Their mud guy likes mud. Really likes mud. He mudded the repair areas and a whole lot of extra areas in many layers over a period of a month. About 50% of the areas were soft and powdery even after weeks of drying. I complained that I can crush it with my knuckles or drill into it with the skin on the tip of my finger. The remodeling owner says it's normal, it will eventually become like concrete, it will be even harder when it's painted, etc. 30 days later, I'm putting on Valspar drywall primer and it looks like the mud is melting under it. Craters suck in a few minutes after priming. I patched with spackle and re-primed. The remodeling owner and mud guy says everything is fine. We give the primer two days to dry (68 to 74F dry weather) and put paint on. 10 minutes after painting, huge blisters appear in one area. I start scraping with a fat putty knife and I'm slicing through slightly damp mud that's as soft as dust. Then I hit a different area where the mud is hard and nothing scrapes off except my fresh paint. What's going on? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 06:34 PM PST Trying to make a section of a old warehouse space more functional. 20 or so fluorescent lights cover that floor of the warehouse, on/off control is located at main panel. One of the fluorescent fixtures is located in an 8x12' room. I'd like to replace that fluorescent light fixture with several outlets instead and a control switch for one outlet (to power a couple LED lights). Nothing in the room is going to draw a lot of power, just a computer, printer & small stereo unit. I looked online and put together different "how to install an Xoutlet" with "how to install an Xswitch into an electrical line" kind of stuff into what I think is a safe configuration. Can someone confirm that I did this right, and if I follow this schematic I should be ok? I'm assuming the building is wired with 3-wire. However, it is an old industrial warehouse (not knob & tube old, but it's old). All official up to date safety code stuff aside, would this schematic still work if the line is 2-wire? [link] [comments] |
| Laminate flooring transition from bedroom to hallway?! Posted: 18 Jan 2021 03:41 PM PST What's the best way to approach this? I just need one more board to finish this room, but the door frame and the closeness of the previous board to the door frame are making this transition from room to hallway difficult... Any help would be greatly appreciated - I'm very new at this. [link] [comments] |
| Shower Squealing - Water Pressure issue? Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:32 PM PST When using the shower in our bathroom and you turn it too far into the "hot" it will squeal for a while before it eventually (hopefully) stop. Sometimes this can be mitigated by turning on the tap in the bathroom a little bit, else by adjusting the tub faucet plunger. Sincerely, a non-plumber. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 05:56 PM PST I was going to get this. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sikaflex-10-1-oz-Crack-Flex-Concrete-Sealant-7116110/300934565#overlay Do I need anything else? I have a few holes that need to be patched from where something was anchored. The holes are roughly 3/8th inches. The anchors are still in the hole, but knocked down. [link] [comments] |
| Foundation crack seepage question? Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:07 PM PST My wife and I bought a house back in November. One side of the house is 4-5 feet below ground. We've had one day where a lot of our snow melted and water breeched one of our rooms. We found out about by really damp carpet. Since then we ripped out the whole wall due to mold and rotten framing. We decided it would be a good opportunity to learn how to frame and drywall. Before we do that tho we want to address the issue of water leaking in. There are two "patches" with what appears to be a a brittle white layer and a tough black tar layer. See pics in the comments. Has anyone seen or dealt with this sort of thing/patch? [link] [comments] |
| Length of Overlap for Sistered Floor Joist Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:00 PM PST I have a 100+ year old house where the previous owners cut out a 5ftx5ft hole and (poorly) added a spiral staircase to the basement. I have removed the spiral staircase (not weight bearing) but am left with the hole and 3 joists that do not span the 12ft distance of the room. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 07:57 PM PST Hello. I am planning to replace our current range hood insert with a better model with better performance. Our current model is Broan PM390 with a T shaped liner. I am really confused on which model to buy that would fit in our current hood. I don't seem to find similar T shaped liners from other manufacturers. Any help is greatly appreciated. TIA. [link] [comments] |
| Spiral staircase with motion-triggered LED lights Posted: 18 Jan 2021 08:54 AM PST Just completed a little weekend project to install LED lights on a staircase. 2 PIR sensors at the top and the bottom to trigger. Works great so far. Pics. [link] [comments] |
| Valor Barrier DiY insallation in crawlspace, is 12mil good? Posted: 18 Jan 2021 07:21 PM PST I was thinking of buying a couple rolls of this but open to tops or recommendations. https://crawlspacerepair.com/12-mil-silverback-hs-high-strength-vapor-barrier.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0MzY7oKn7gIVB8DICh0E1woDEAQYAiABEgLJ_PD_BwE [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2021 02:22 PM PST So, I've sealed every nook and cranny I can physically get to and they're still getting into my attic and running around. I've set traps and caught a few, but for the most part they avoid them. I need pro tips on getting rid of these fuckers. Please. Ideally it would be some kind of non-toxic scenario, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. [link] [comments] |
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