Home Improvement: I blew more insulation into our attic and drastically improved our home’s efficiency for under $300 |
- I blew more insulation into our attic and drastically improved our home’s efficiency for under $300
- Retaining heat in an older home. What will have the biggest impact?
- Advice on removable wall section.
- PSA: Be careful making your home too tight
- What's going on with lumber prices right now???
- [Venting] Can someone please explain to me why, in my house built in the 1970s, nearly *every* screw is flathead? Wasn't the phillips style invented in like the 30s or something? What kind of monster prefers flathead?!
- Garbage Disposal was not working. Pulled this rubber ring out, now it works.
- Help - Installing LVP, meeting in middle
- Cleaning oil off parking garage spot
- Help identifying random wires
- Cleaning up electrical wires in the basement
- How to dull sounds of footsteps coming from downstairs?
- Mold remediation: contractor selection advice and help
- Advice/Question - first time building a home
- Adding electrical outlet to outside light?
- Brand new SharkBite valve leaking
- Advice on removing vinyl floor and wooden underlayment
- Toilet fill valve replacement question
- Can I install foam board over fiberglass insulation in attic to increase R value?
- Fencing.
- Basement shower?
- Water heater issue pt 2
- Product Suggestions?
- Holes in vinyl fence?
| I blew more insulation into our attic and drastically improved our home’s efficiency for under $300 Posted: 27 Jan 2021 10:06 AM PST Album link at the bottom We have a 1200sqft home and noticed that our guest bedroom we rarely use was a lot colder than the rest of the house. I used an infrared thermometer from Lowe's and the ceiling temperature in that room was 8 degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Clearly something was wrong. After crawling through the attic, I realized that the ceiling of that room had ZERO insulation. The opening you have to crawl through was so small, the builder probably thought nobody would notice. Sealing Gaps in the attic I knew I wanted to blow in more insulation, but I decided to seal the any gaps in the floor of the attic first. I was blown away by how much warm air was leaking into the attic. I pulled the insulation back and sealed the tops of the walls using caulk and expanding foam. Air gets into your walls through fixtures and outlets, and escapes through the gap between the wall frame and drywall. The insulation was black and dirty in some spots from acting like an air filter for all of the air escaping into the attic. This took me 2 days to finish, working on it after I got off work. I also sealed electrical boxes, the tops of light fixtures and bathroom exhaust fans. I was amazed at how big some of these opening were. Blowing in insulation I decided to buy cellulose insulation from Home Depot to do it myself. If you buy 20 bales, the machine is free for 24hrs. The insulation was only $275. That was enough to insulate the ceiling of our guest bedroom, and then blow additional insulation on top of low spots in the rest of the attic. I had my dad help feed the machine while I blew in the insulation. This took us 4hrs on a weeknight after work. Since the existing insulation didn't have moisture/mold issues, I was able to blow the new stuff right on top of it. Also, the machine creates a TON of dust. Keep the machine outside and run the hose through the window closest to your attic access. Sealing vents and fireplace I also used caulk to seal the gaps between our ductwork and our floor. Some of our ducts had a quarter inch gap around the sides. When the heat turned on, those gaps created an area of low pressure that pulled in cold air from the crawlspace. We have a gas fireplace in our living room that is not connected, and never has been. It doesn't have a door on the front, so I decided to look up the chimney. As I stuck my head in the fireplace, I could see dust being sucked up the chimney. Apparently there is no flume, so air has been escaping out of this 6in pipe constantly. I used foam board and caulk to seal the chimney. I left a letter on the gas line in case any future homeowners in case they decide to connect it. That way they will know to remove the foam board before doing so. All of this has made a massive difference in how our home feels. It holds the temperature for much longer, and it is no longer drafty like it was. I highly recommend doing it yourself if you are having issues. https://imgur.com/gallery/eB3X1vP Edit: temperature readings from tonight https://imgur.com/gallery/UDzo50R [link] [comments] |
| Retaining heat in an older home. What will have the biggest impact? Posted: 27 Jan 2021 07:34 AM PST My husband and I became first time homeowners recently and we're spending our first winter here. It was very hard to buy into the market where we live (in Ontario Canada), so we could only afford an older starter home that needs a lot of work. We just received a gas bill for December costing almost $500 which really sucks because we always feel like we're freezing in here! Since receiving the bill we've been keeping the thermostat set to 16°C but even at that temperature the furnace is always kicking on. We want to find cost effective ways to improve heat retention. The house was built in the 60's. It is 1.5 stories, with 3 small bedrooms. It has older windows, they were probably last replaced in the 90s. There's no access to the attic so we can't tell exactly how insulated it is. Back in the fall my husband added new insulation in the basement (in the exposed spaces where the foundation meets the walls). He repaired gaps in the heating ducts. And he just installed weather stripping around the back door where a lot of heat seemed to be escaping. We have about $10,000 saved for major repairs to the house. We were hoping to use this to replace the roof in a few years but we're open to using some of it for projects that would improve heat retention. Any suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| Advice on removable wall section. Posted: 27 Jan 2021 05:29 AM PST Howdy folks, I've got 180 degree staircases and am currently working on my basement. I opened up a hole through the stairwell and realize now how convenient it is. I'm thinking I'll make this section of wall removable. https://i.imgur.com/j7rvr86.jpg What I don't want is a square of chair rail trim on both sides screaming "THIS IS A REMOVABLE SECTION OF WALL". Wondering if anyone has any other ideas...I found panel mounting hardware but that would mean a piece of painted plywood on each side of the wall which to me might look even worse. [link] [comments] |
| PSA: Be careful making your home too tight Posted: 27 Jan 2021 09:05 PM PST I've recently read some posts about sealing up homes. This is great, but be careful. It is possible to go too far with this. Modern homes have gotten very "tight," as in not very much air exchange with the outdoors. This is great for energy bills, but it can potentially make you sick. Our bodies need fresh air. Modern home construction uses a lot of materials that can be very bad for our health, weird adhesives, particulates, VOC's, And all sorts of bad stuff exists in every single one of our homes, but HOPEFULLY it's at a level so low it doesn't affect our health. When we start to seal our homes up we reduce the amount of fresh air entering our indoor space pollutants can actually accumulate and build up over time in our homes, if it's really bad we start to get Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Your house can literally become a toxic space, so If you want a tight home, and the energy savings that come along with it, then you should very seriously consider installing an heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). HRV's And ERV's both bring in fresh air from outside while recovering some of the heat, or "cool" from your indoor air that it exhausts. HRV's are for colder climates, and ERVs are for climates where cooling is the predominant climate control. [link] [comments] |
| What's going on with lumber prices right now??? Posted: 27 Jan 2021 08:59 PM PST Just yesterday I went to Lowes to find a piece of plywood to cut in half and act as a barrier for introducing rabbits. Everything, even the crappiest pieces splintering all around were like 30-45 dollars a piece!!!! I ended up going with a piece of that weird cheap siding (not exactly vinyl) that was super flimsy but didnt have splinters for 15 dollars. When I was a kid about 15 years ago I SWEAR plywood was not this expensive. It has me worried because my SO and I are planning on buying a house soon and I want to do alot of the handy work myself but damn... not if its going to cost an arm and a leg. Now renting seems like a better idea as far as long term maintenance goes...so what's happening right now? And WHERE can I get cheap and decent wood? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 03:11 PM PST That's it, when we reno, I'm writing it into the work order that everything has to be phillips...or torx. -_- [link] [comments] |
| Garbage Disposal was not working. Pulled this rubber ring out, now it works. Posted: 27 Jan 2021 04:56 AM PST [Photo description: yellow rubber ring against a white background sitting next to a US $.25c piece (aka "quarter") with the face side up. The ring is slightly larger than the quarter.] I flipped the switch on our Insinkerator Evolution Pro Compact garbage disposal and nothing happened. No motor sounds, no movement. It was like the electricity had been turned off. I shut the switch off (sorry for the nightmare image but I'm OK), and put my hand in the disposal. I pulled out this rubber ring. With my hand safely away, I flipped the switch again and the disposal worked fine. The rubber shows some wear and tear as if it had gotten caught in the blades, but the ring isn't ripped in half like I would expect. It looks like a rubber joint washer of some sort kind of like the ones you'd find in a water jug/dispenser with a spigot. Some questions: Is this ring part of the disposal? OR... is it just a random piece of something else that ended up triggering some safety mechanism of the garbage disposal? I'm in Philadelphia PA area, fyi. Also the disposal is about 7? years old. It was installed by a licensed plumber. Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Help - Installing LVP, meeting in middle Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:00 AM PST Hi, I'm installing LVP throughout the upstairs in my house. For reasons I won't go into, I installed through the hallway and then started at the exterior wall in a bedroom rather than following in from the hallway (and installing backwards). I've got a gap now remaining between the two where I'm meeting in the middle. What's the best way to handle this? I've so far been able to avoid transitions in doorways and closets and instead have a continuous flow, but that didn't happen here. Is my best bet a transition (a T piece)? Could I take a cut piece without the groves and use some sort of glue or sealant, or would that look like hell? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Cleaning oil off parking garage spot Posted: 27 Jan 2021 09:08 PM PST I live in a condo with an assigned parking spot. My car has been leaking oil for a while, but I never noticed much until I moved into my condo. A couple of days ago, something happened where what looks like a huge amount of oil spilled out onto my parking spot. I took my car in to see a mechanic. He told me everything was fine with my car, it just has a slight leak which I have known for years. He wasn't sure what caused the huge oil spill, but told me to monitor the car for a few days. The oil levels on the car were fine as well, so not sure what happened. Before the big spill, I was already embarrassed by the slight oil stain that was forming. My two neighbors on either side of me have very clean spots with no stains. Now there is a massive stain, rather than a small one in my spot. Today I dumped kitty litter on the oil to absorb it. I crunched my shoes into it and then swept it up. Now there is a huge dark stain that looks terrible. Is there anyway I can clean this up better? There is no hose that I know of in the garage. So I would have to rinse it with buckets of water. I looked into a few products that claim to clean oil off, but with no hose to rinse it off, I'm not sure it will work. On top of that, I'm worried my neighbors will get mad if I potentially spread the oil into their spots by trying to clean it... Any suggestions? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 03:07 PM PST I'm looking to start cleaning up the wires on the ceiling of my basement. Can you help identify these. Are they mostly telephone wires? Can I cut those? We don't use a land line. Second can I call the security system people and ask them to remove their wiring and box? [link] [comments] |
| Cleaning up electrical wires in the basement Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:50 PM PST I have had a new 200 amp service panel installed. Since then we have had wire from the basement run up to the second floor for bathroom and bedroom rewiring. We had the wire run along the main joist of the house from one side to the middle of the house then up, ease of access. There is about 7 wires running along that joist using multi cable staples. It just looks cluttered, is there a way to use a sheathing for all the wires or is it is what is it? I am interested in any idea! Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| How to dull sounds of footsteps coming from downstairs? Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:59 AM PST Hi all, I'm not exactly in control of our estate but I'm wondering if there's any small-grade things that I can do to block my dad's footsteps coming from downstairs. My room is carpeted and on the second floor, and I sleep with the fan on, but in the morning I will still get woken up by his footsteps from the hardwood floor downstairs. I know the usual problem is hearing noise from upstairs.... so I'm surprised that I can hear them so clearly from my room. We have access to our basement if something can be done there. Also wondering, does this problem mean my house was built a certain way? I'm curious! [link] [comments] |
| Mold remediation: contractor selection advice and help Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:39 PM PST We got mold. Our attic has a decent amount of growth due to some bad bathroom venting and general poor air circulation. Our crawlspace by comparison is pretty minimal. I'm doing the whole dance of getting at least 3 quotes to see our options and filter out the bs as much as possible. Not afraid to bite the bullet and get quality work done since we're home a lot of the time now and really value our air. Also not afraid of a little DIY. TL;DR we have 3 mold remediation quotes below. Pricing is for pacific northwest area. Looking for someone to check over this with more experience who can call out any outrageous items. Contractor 1 (~$2600):Attic spaces:
Attic venting:
Crawlspace:
Living spaces:
Warranty
Contractor 2 (~$4800):Attic spaces:
Attic venting:
Crawlspace (itemized cost is about $1900, can be removed but can't piece meal if we want the warranty):
Warranty
Contractor 3 (~$2700):Attic spaces:
Attic venting:
Crawlspace:
Living spaces:
Warranty
[link] [comments] |
| Advice/Question - first time building a home Posted: 27 Jan 2021 08:35 PM PST Hii. My husband and I are planning to build our first home however I am curious as to those who have built their own houses. I have many questions as we are trying to get one done by this summer... Firstly, how long ETA would it take to build a home with everything done? (Getting a plot, building, plumbing, planning, designing, etc.) I'll add more questions later on... any advice would be appreciated :) [link] [comments] |
| Adding electrical outlet to outside light? Posted: 27 Jan 2021 07:55 PM PST I would like to get an electrical outlet on the backside of my house. Currently, I have a porch light by the sliding door. I have vinyl siding and the light is mounted on a box. The light is a LED and not the e26 style that you could just add in a screw in outlet. Is there any kind of extension box that would fit between the light and the mounting box that could have an outlet and use the same wiring as the light? I would only be running low power 12v from the outlet. It is covered by the soffit and I would imagine I would need a weather protected case. [link] [comments] |
| Brand new SharkBite valve leaking Posted: 27 Jan 2021 07:41 PM PST Replaced a very annoying self-piercing saddle valve because they leak and are not ideal for good water pressure at my house (I did not install the saddle valve, previous owner did). Cut around hole in copper pipe and slid SharkBite 1/2" x 1/2" x 3/8" OD TEE STOP onto copper pipe. It leaks on one side. I loosened it to try and equal it out, now it leaks on opposite side, but the original leaking spot is fine. Is there anything I can do to fix this without having to start from scratch? here is the SharkBite tee stop [link] [comments] |
| Advice on removing vinyl floor and wooden underlayment Posted: 27 Jan 2021 05:05 PM PST Hello! I'm looking for advice on removing the vinyl flooring in our '80s Midwestern home in preparation for installing LVP. We cut into the vinyl of the breakfast nook next to the kitchen, and we were able to pull up a couple of layers of old flooring. Once those were up, we saw that the final layer has papery backing stuck to some thin, splintery wood. This wood is stapled to the plywood subfloor. Our kitchen counters and appliances (dishwasher, range, refrigerator) are on the vinyl and thin wood. The adjacent carpeted areas do not have this thin wood, only carpet padding. Here are my questions: What is this wood? What is the best way to remove it? Will there be problems if we cut it around the kitchen cabinets and leave it beneath them? Thank you for reading and for any insight into this! [link] [comments] |
| Toilet fill valve replacement question Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:47 PM PST Hi all! I just did my first repair project by myself, and while I feel like I installed everything correctly, it feels like the toilet now drains a lot more of the tank, and the overall water level in the toilet bowl is higher than it used to be. To back up slightly, the fill valve in my toilet went and after watching a few YouTube videos, I quickly figured out this was something I could do myself. I went out and bought the following: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluidmaster-Universal-Fit-Toilet-Repair-Kit/1000095830 Ultimately, I did not end up using the enclosed flapper from the repair kit, because my flush valve does not have hooks. The flush valve is almost a straight metal pipe, and the flapper was pure rubber that went around it (see photos below). As the Lowes isn't exactly close to my house to buy a replacement flush valve or flapper, I just put the old one back in there. It still works, though it's slightly worse for wear by the rubber circle that goes around the flush valve. The seal is, thankfully, just fine. Everything else got replaced according to the instructions and the YouTube videos I'd watched. Nothing leaks, everything seems to work as it should, so ultimately this feels like a little thing--but it feels like since I've replaced the fill valve, the toilet tank takes forever to fill. I've tried adjusting the water pressure from the shut-off valve, which didn't seem to make a difference. I've tried adjusting the chain from the handle to the flapper in case I made that too tight, but tightening or loosening it doesn't seem to do anything either. The water level in the bowl seems higher than it did before I replaced the fill valve too. Before and after pictures, as well as a video of the tank when I flush are here: https://imgur.com/a/vh395cd Did I mess something up, or am I just losing my mind because this was my first project? Any help would be greatly appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Can I install foam board over fiberglass insulation in attic to increase R value? Posted: 27 Jan 2021 04:35 PM PST I live in a 1.5 story house with a half attic. I want to re-insulate the attic wall bordering conditioned space. The best I can do is R-15 because of the 2x4 studs. Can I insulate the stud cavities with R-15 then install rigid foam kind of like it's drywall to increase the R-value? That seems much easier than furring out the studs to 2x6 or 2x8. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 04:26 PM PST Just joined this group and it's pretty fucking awesome. Everyone is helpful and very knowledgeable. That being said, I have a fencing question so hopefully I can get some good advice. I want to do a simple 4' high split rail farm fence (two horizontal rails). I want to use 4x4 posts and maybe a 1"x6"x8' for the rails. I don't have much slope to my yard so would it be easier to build each 8' section of the fence and then drop it into the holes or should I sink the 4x4s and go from there? Thanks in advance. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 10:22 PM PST Any thoughts on adding a shower in the basement? Our house is a super weird setup (the owners before us made the two upstairs full baths into one epic master bath, but it means our three bedroom house is technically now a 1 bath, two half bath house). For resale, it's a weird af listing so we are hoping to add a shower to one of the half baths. There is a half bath in the basement and a half bath on the ground floor. In theory, we could add a shower to the first floor bathroom, but it would require losing the shoe closet and the bathroom is like in the front hall. We are planning on putting a small bed in the basement (think tiny house style under the stairs) for sleepovers with the kids. It small also have a gym area, so two potential reasons a shower makes some sense there. There is also space that won't eat into storage space. The basement has a half bath that is needs to be renovated anyway, but we think it wouldn't break the bank to add a shower. Our state code says the ceilings are high enough for the shower, even if we have to have to lift it and use a pump, but I think the waste pipes might be deep enough that we can use gravity, since the currently toilet doesn't use a pump. Our options are: A - renovate the basement bath but keep as a half bath and have a super weird listing and not spend a ton of money. B - add a corner shower to renovated basement bath C - add a stand in shower and make the whole thing a wet bath D - add a shower to the first floor, lose the shoe closet and make it a pretty weird layout. Ideally I would add a full bath in the upstairs that is en-suite to the guest bedroom (there is some space to do that), but I think the expense will be too much for a house we are likely to sell in less than 10 years and I'm not convinced that at least 20k spent would be recouped in the house resale value. My concern for a basement shower is mostly mold. We will of course use a high velocity extractor fan to vent outside, which may be enough, BUT I think we may have an additional consideration that a main HVAC line runs above where the shower would have to be placed and I don't know whether mold and/or rust become a consideration even if totally sealed off with waterproof gypsum. I'm not sure if the temperature fluctuation will cause the line to condense and then cause the drywall to mold. Anyway, I'd love any feedback on why it's a good idea/a terrible idea/things to look out for, etc. Thanks so much! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 06:32 PM PST I recently posted about not having enough hot water in my shower so this is an update: Maintenance came in this afternoon and flushed the water heater and they said they also replaced heating element. It is now evening and I just showered and only had about 10 min of hot water if not less. What could be the issue now? 😡 [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 10:15 PM PST Was removing some carpet in the basement. The tack strips were nailed directly into the concrete. I would say only 20% came up clean. The rest destroyed the surrounding concrete leaving multiple craters around where the nails were removed. Any idea on the best way to fill them flush? Planning on putting in dri-core subfloors and vinyl. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 27 Jan 2021 10:09 PM PST Holes are from screws. Would repairing these holes be merely aesthetic or contribute to the longevity of the fence? [link] [comments] |
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