Home Improvement: Reminder: check your sump pump |
- Reminder: check your sump pump
- Bathroom Remodel
- Worried about Contractor's bathroom decisions
- Making An Attic Semi Habitable
- I knew Rockwool blocked sound but...
- What is something you must have or do to make your home way more comfortable?
- Is it OK for wood to be split like this?
- Home Depot (etc.) vs Kohler (etc.) showroom fixture quality - is there a difference?
- Replacing an electrical box
- Wallpaper removal SOS HELP
- Considering buying a house that has lead-based paint that has been "encapsulated". Any concerns with kids living in the house if I don't plan on "irritating" the painted areas (sanding/scraping)
- Who the HECK do I call to vault a ceiling / replace a roof? Neither GCs nor roofers want the job.
- How can I remove 1.5" staples from my stairs?
- Any tips for airing out / reducing paint smell in a freshly painted bedroom in the dead of a northeast winter?
- What is your personal checklist when hiring a contractor?
- What To Do About Mold/Stinky Bathroom Fan Duct
- Is it simpler to rekey a deadbolt or install a new one?
- There is a hole in my floor what do I do
- Can anyone suggest any solar powered lights that are actually good?
- Concrete bathroom ceiling paint bubbling, contractor suggest slapping drywall on it
- GFCI vs. Electrician Repair Outlets
- Neutral wire
- Bad wind storm hit my town today, I lost a single 3 tab shingle. I have some extras in my garage from a reroofing back in 2018, can I replace myself?
- Currently in escrow, asbestos tests came back positive
| Reminder: check your sump pump Posted: 13 Jan 2021 10:46 AM PST Had over 2 inches of rain last night in Portland, OR. Not a terribly huge amount, but enough to recharge the spring beneath my house. Woke up to water on the basement floor because the pump, despite the power being triggered by the presence of water, was not actually pumping. Water eventually topped the sump and flowed onto the basement floor. Thankfully I had a backup pump, but it could have been lot worse for someone without some extra money and/or the expertise to quickly pump the water out. You will typically see these kinds of events with record rainfall, especially in areas like California where flash floods are an issue. Do yourself a favor and get ahead of it while you can. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 02:17 PM PST Project Dates: 11/01/20- 01/06/21 Location: Ohio Cost Estimate: 3,357 My Fiancé and I just bought a fixer-upper and one of first tasks was getting the main hallway bathroom working and beautiful. Both my fiancé and I are DIY newbies, but we had the experience of my Dad, a great handyman, to carry us through it. We began this project on 11/1/20 and finished up on 1/6/21 doing all work ourselves. My fiancé and I are both nurses, so our schedules make it easier to devote full days to projects. Project process and details: We bought the house knowing that there was a pretty significant leak that ran down the pipes all the way to the basement, and originally thought it was due to the toilet flange leaking or the sink bowl being cracked. Once we gutted the room, we found the sink drain was sloped where the water would have to run uphill, so we took out more drywall to look at it. We found that when the house settled, the sink drain that went through the joists in this bathroom was partially snapped off of the main plumbing stack. What a nightmare. No wonder the previous owners stopped using this bathroom. Good news was we found the source before finishing the bathroom. We also discovered that the book shelf in the family room below it is to cover up water damage. So we did a lot of plumbing and basically recreated the entire plumbing stack. We installed the bath, and had to plumb the tub section of drain pipes twice because we messed it up. Then we got to replacing the exhaust fan and venting it to the outside (of course the old one was venting into the attic). Drilling a hole through our wood siding was a nightmare, we burned through 3 batteries trying to do it. We installed a humidity sensing fan switch because we have certain members of the household that "forget" to turn the fan on when showering (I now love this feature). I ended up knocking down the texture on the ceiling, sanding and re-stippling it. The damage from removing the old fan was so great that trying to texture over it would have made it apparent that there was a hole patched. At the same time we put in a bunch of screws attaching the drywall back to the ceiling joists. The ceiling was visibly sinking in; I think the only thing holding it up was the previous fan. At that time, we also ran new electrical wire to the upstairs outlet, which will serve the master bath and hallway bath receptacles. The circuit servicing this bathroom is fairly large and we had an issue where running a work light in one of the bedrooms and turning on the shopvac tripped the breaker. After that we turned to drywalling the entire wall we ripped out, cement boarding the shower and creating the shower niche. Next was fixing the rotted subfloor and adding another layer to bring it to the level of the rest of the house. The house has two layers of subfloor all through it, they put down 1/4in plywood and then reinforced it for some reason. Then we added cement backerboard to the floor. Up next was putting redguard in the shower. After that, mudding and priming the bathroom walls, realizing some areas looked like shit, re-mudding, sanding, priming again, and painting. We tiled the floors, and I didn't account for enough waste, so we ended up using exactly the number of tiles I bought, no extra. It added some stress trying not to break anything. Then we tiled the shower walls. We used thinset mortar up to where the concrete backerboard ends and used tile mastic on the other areas. We grouted and sealed the grout. At this point I felt that we were nearing the finishing, but the vanity I ordered arrived broken... and then the replacement arrived broken. Thankfully the third vanity arrived intact but we spent nearly 3 weeks just waiting on a vanity to finish the project. So after the toilet install and vanity install, we added trim and finishing touches. I'm still waiting for a matching mirror but I was too excited not to share. Cost breakdown: $3,358 Dumpster: 294.20 Plumbing, Venting, Misc: 433.24 Exhaust Fan: 99.00 GFCI outlet: 15.37 Humidity sensing switch: 36.26 Wood glue: 15.97 Tub: 145.00 Dathtub drain kit: 37.99 2nd bath drain kit- 18.97 (messed up the first) Studs: 23.75 Greenboard drywall: 25.14 Cement board screws: 9.40 Cement Board: 1/4 in 29.91 1/2 in 43.88 Drywall screws: 4.10 Corner bead for drywall: 2.67 Redguard: 47.87 Ceiling Paint: 30.97 Wall paint: 30.97 Stippling Brush: 13.86 Grey Subway Shower Tile: 290.25 Grey Quarter round tile: 92.42 Leaf style mosaic tile: 44.67 Marble Threshold for shower niche: 21.98 Floor Tile: 63.68 Marble Threshold for floor: 9.89 Thinset mortar: 32.96 Polyblend white grout: 25.96 Grout sealer: 15.48 Sink Faucet: 126.09 Tub/Shower Faucet: 181.22 Vanity: 549.20 Toilet: 99.00 Bathroom Hardware Set 34.99 Bathroom Towel Hook 19.99 Shower Rod 27.73 Shower Curtain Hooks 12.56 Shower Curtain 24.99 Shower Curtain Liner 14.99 Toilet Tank Lever Oil-Rubbed Bronze 16.45 Baseboard vent diffuser: 10.70 Light fixture: 92.10 Estimated sales tax: 192 Total: 3,357.82 Missing from estimate: mastic, subfloor, new mirror Things we used and already owned and/or borrowed: All tools, new baseboards and door trim, Sheetrock 20, topping compound [link] [comments] |
| Worried about Contractor's bathroom decisions Posted: 13 Jan 2021 03:45 AM PST Hi there, I was quoted for $10K on the bath to do over the entire thing, convert from tub to shower. But a couple things have rubbed me the wrong way.
Thanks in advance fellow redditors EDIT1: His reply to me saying "my friend" is really concerned when i showed him the photo was "This is waterproof drywall, made for shower walls". Yeesh, i hate conflict. EDIT2: He took awhile to reply, then i sent msg saying we need to hold off on today, he called me. His plan was greenboard, then a "glue" membrane (similar to redgard), then tile. But i told him, that still is not great b/c the greenboard was will being used. I asked for cement board or kerdi. He said he was worried the cement board was too heavy to hold up. But that was what was in place for the bath tub... I saw it being demo'd and how difficult it was to pull off vs drywall. He said cement board would not make it any more waterproof or last longer. I asked for kerdi then and said i would pay more. Then he sent me this link, i think to scare me off from pricing. But it is not similar pricing to anything i've seen. [link] [comments] |
| Making An Attic Semi Habitable Posted: 13 Jan 2021 07:07 AM PST Looking for some suggestions about "finishing" a walk up attic space. Photos here. We aren't ready to properly insulate and convert the attic. Probably not for a few years. We are in New England and it's comfortable up there for about 6 months of the year. It's a walk up but with very narrow and steep stairs (<3') so to convert legally it would entail quite a bit of work. And really there is only a 5' span or less of space width wise that has a 7' ceiling or higher. My current thoughts are to use the space for quiet meditative/yoga space and even a hot yoga space as it heats up in the summer. Keep it bare for the most part. I would love some ideas from someone who has done something similar. I'd like to add additional roll insulation to the currently exposed area as it's loose fill (not asbestos or that other kind I can't remember the name of.) Would plywood on top be sufficient to create a "floor" space? Windows need replacing, maybe this is a great opportunity to learn how to do this since the structure and framing are exposed. We just had new windows hung on the second story but bypassed the attic. LED string lights to light the space, polypropylene rugs so that little critters don't make use of it for a meal. There's electric run up there, two lights with plugs. Any additional thought? Ive seen people paint the unfinished roof underside as well. Any downsides to that? Roof is new along with the underpayment if that matters. Currently looking at our states energy audit programs that may qualify us to get insulation at a discounted rate to do the whole shebang. Would love some lived experiences. Thank you! Edit: I do NOT want to insulate the attic at this point. Short of the currently insulated floor. [link] [comments] |
| I knew Rockwool blocked sound but... Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:19 AM PST The city is digging with a backhoe just a few feet from my husband's studio and he had no idea they were there because of the Rockwool insulation in the walls and ceiling. The Denny foil wrap probably doesn't hurt either. This is wild. [link] [comments] |
| What is something you must have or do to make your home way more comfortable? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 06:18 PM PST Some people I know have to clean the floor every single day. Is there something you bought that changed everything? Any inside tips? [link] [comments] |
| Is it OK for wood to be split like this? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 08:14 AM PST Picture here because the sub doesn't allow image posts This is the pergola in my backyard. All of the beams are split like this. Does this indicate a pending issue or is it fine? [link] [comments] |
| Home Depot (etc.) vs Kohler (etc.) showroom fixture quality - is there a difference? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 08:08 AM PST HI - not just in terms of aesthetics, but is there a functional quality difference in the fixtures (thinking kitchen/bathroom faucets at the moment) you can walk into a Home Depot and buy vs. getting from a more showroom-type retailer? The kitchen faucet I installed 6 months ago just started leaking from the body/base, and it's just seeming like a major pain in the ass to fix. It's a Moen Sombra, so not the cheapest home depot option but still has a fairly cheap feeling build quality to it compared to the bathroom fixtures I purchased (or any of those even availabkle) from a Kohler showroom store... Just curious if that's a theme and if I want quality I should NOT shop at Home Depot... [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:37 PM PST I'm attempting to replace a new work box which was improperly installed and never actually anchored to anything. Thanks to the double layers of sheet rock, precarious placement of other wires, and a metal beam the normal placement of tabs on most old work boxes won't work in this situation. Does anyone know of old work boxes which have anchors on the top left and bottom right? TLDR: I need an old work box which can be anchored to the sheet rock on the top left and bottom right corners. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 08:01 PM PST I've been using boiling water + 1/4c white vinegar. It removed two rooms. But now I am stuck on someone painting 2 layers of paint on the brown glue backing. What is the best way to remove this? I just need to get to the drywall. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 06:13 PM PST We'll be painting as we please but I don't have any plans to sand or otherwise "wake up" the layer of lead paint. Also, the seller is reporting that lead-encapsulating paint has been applied to the interior of the home. I have a 7 and a 10-year-old. Anything I need to do to ensure peace-of-mind? [link] [comments] |
| Who the HECK do I call to vault a ceiling / replace a roof? Neither GCs nor roofers want the job. Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:26 AM PST Hi all! Wife and I just moved into a ~750sqft house in the PNW. It's got a metal roof that's starting to fail, and bats/leaky pipes/moldy insulation in the attic. We need a new roof and I'd like to vault the ceilings as well to take care of the above problems. However, every contractor I've contacted has pointed me to roofers! And when I call a roofer they'll do the outside but won't vault a ceiling! I seem to have hit a weird niche of work that nobody wants to take on. It's not even a price issue, I can't even get someone to give me an estimate! So /r/HomeImprovement , who do I call? Or if it's multiple people to get this knocked out, what's the order of who to contact? Thank you! [link] [comments] |
| How can I remove 1.5" staples from my stairs? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 03:38 PM PST The person who flipped my house before I bought it installed commercial carpeting using these heavy duty 1.5" staples in the stairs and there are approximately a million of them. My plan was to remove them, fill the holes and paint the stairs but I've not been able to get even a single one out yet using pliers, a pry bar, or a screwdriver. Is there a certain tool I should be using, or is there something else I could do (like cover this up with something)? Really open to any and all suggestions! Im in ontario, canada which is in lockdown so my tool options are limited to what i can pick up curbside. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 06:26 PM PST I've only ever done painting projects in fair weather when I can open windows, but we hired a contractor for some work and they'll do the painting for us and this was their availability. 🤷♀️ Any tips? I have a feeling letting paint dry at 20degrees F with the windows open isn't a good idea, but my kiddo wants to get back into his room ASAP once the project is over. [link] [comments] |
| What is your personal checklist when hiring a contractor? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 05:06 PM PST I was having trouble finding and hiring a contractor these last couple months. After searching, I am beginning to notice the trend between the good and bad. Since I didn't know anyone that could reccoment the type of contractor I was looking for, I had to go to google and do the search and call. This led to many people not responding to my voicemails and messages, even after multiple follow ups (practically begging and getting ghosted). I finally found someone to come out, give me a quote, and I took it. He gave me a day he would reach out and a day he would do the job. Both of those days passed and I had to reach out to see what was going on, and he EVENTUALLY got back to me, but I was afraid of being ghosted again so I started my search over. It seemed like he was just too busy to really do mine. Let me preface by saying I am not a "karen". I try to be as easy to work with as humanely possible. This is where I started to seperate the good contractors from the bad ones knowing nothing. For me personally, communication is the most important. Job not big enough to be worth it? Not acceptiong new jobs? That's fine, just tell me and don't ghost me. Are they willing to come out for estimates and actually look at what needs done? Some guys wouldn't do this for me. Too busy. I'm also finding that online reviews mean nothing. The highest rated guy in my area for that type of contractor ghosted me for 2 months after I followed up twice. I reached out again on a whim recently and now he's talking to me. No apology, no nothing. I would say the couple people I found didn't really have any reviews online, but they were responsive, kind, very informative, and professional. The one that comes to mind had one good review. I called and he said he was booked until early summer, but he would come out and give an estimate. He was responsive, came out, and two days later he drove to my house and dropped off an itimized invoice (without even asking) along with brick samples. The price was fair, and now I know why he's booked until early summer. [link] [comments] |
| What To Do About Mold/Stinky Bathroom Fan Duct Posted: 13 Jan 2021 06:09 PM PST I have seen a lot of questions online about mold/ventilation issues but not about if the mold is only within the ducts/exhaust pipe for the bathroom fan. The fan seems to work fine for getting moisture out of the bathroom and there are no moisture or mold problems in the room but but it is stinky inside the pipe both inside the house and on top of the roof. Does this mean it's not working properly or is this something you can clean out? Our duct doesn't go through an attic or anything. [link] [comments] |
| Is it simpler to rekey a deadbolt or install a new one? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 02:44 PM PST I looked at instructions online, and rekeying seems tough compared to just outright replacing it. However, the cost is quite different, too. [link] [comments] |
| There is a hole in my floor what do I do Posted: 13 Jan 2021 08:42 AM PST I know this is more of a home repair than improvement but I need some advice. I live in a trailer from the 90s. I was cleaning my room. when I look at my bed leg it had sunk about 3 inches into the carpet. This pulled my carpet away from the wall exposing a hole. I live in Maine so this is an insulation problem. Also my cat killed a mouse that I belive came from this hole I'm thinking spray foam insulation but this is short term and mice could get through it. Any long term fixes it doesnt have to look good cause it's under my bed [link] [comments] |
| Can anyone suggest any solar powered lights that are actually good? Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:11 PM PST My experience with solar lighting has not been good. Ugly cold white lights that aren't even bright. Can anyone suggest any solar lights that actually put out some warm lighting without first needing 23 hours of direct sunlight? [link] [comments] |
| Concrete bathroom ceiling paint bubbling, contractor suggest slapping drywall on it Posted: 13 Jan 2021 09:03 PM PST Removed the popcorn ceiling in the bathroom. Contractor sanded, applied a primer and paint and called it a day. Right away we had cracks/bubbling issues. (not just in the bathroom but the bathroom ones came back over and over). Room was potentially cool when job was done (60 degrees?) I am thinking either we scrape everything, try again with a concrete sealant plus specific primer and paint. or we drywall but give it some space with furring strips to avoid the drywall pulling moisture away from the concrete. Is there a risk of moisture accumulating anyway between drywall and concrete? Are these options terrible? Is my contractor right? [link] [comments] |
| GFCI vs. Electrician Repair Outlets Posted: 13 Jan 2021 05:12 AM PST I have a 1950s style home and realized that none of the bedrooms, hallways or living room have grounded outlets. Would it be better to hire an electrician to put in grounded outlets throughout the home or just self-install a bulk set of GFCI outlets? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 04:56 PM PST Is it normal for a house built in 2019 to not have any neutral wire in the switch boxes in the bathroom? I'm trying to replace a fan switch with a timer switch and there isn't any neutral wire to connect to the timer switch. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Jan 2021 03:38 PM PST After driving around town, I got pretty lucky. Is this something I can easily do myself? Never done any roofing but I'm not an idiot [link] [comments] |
| Currently in escrow, asbestos tests came back positive Posted: 13 Jan 2021 08:28 PM PST Hello! We are currently in escrow for a house built in 1964 that has been up kept spotlessly by the previous owner, however we did asbestos tests and they came back positive with 2% Chrysotile. Of course we frantically called our agent and he basically said every house in our area built before 1970 has asbestos and we shouldn't be surprised. I also now understand that its only dangerous if disturbed and particulates are added to the air. Since we are still in escrow i couldn't have the technician actually poke holes in the drywall to test so she took samples from behind the outlet plates, not sure if that changes the accuracy of the test. My biggest question is what to do for renovations, we aren't planning on knocking down any walls as of now but the kitchen may need to be moved around depending on the direction we decide.
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