Home Improvement: How I squared my old door frame to fit a new door |
- How I squared my old door frame to fit a new door
- 2 years. Hours of YouTube. A ton of Learning. Our first full renovation project.
- Is silicone caulk obsolete now?
- Tesla Solar Roof
- Purchased a house. This plastic thing was left in it. What is it?
- Does anyone know what’s going on with this pipe leak / odd concrete covering?
- Insulating a basement without framing it
- Water pipes are vibrating the whole house
- Removing water from white oak
- Need major help after using old paint!
- can I wear N95 instead of a construction worker's respirator?
- Has anyone used Pylex helical piers for a deck?
- Leaning basement wall
- What is this iron pipe in my living room ceiling?
- Cold Air return duct
- Wood vs gas fireplace
- Hanging backer board, tub spaced from wall
- Soundproofing: how much can a wooden desk filling help?
- Align sink with bar cabinets
- A shed that doesn't look like a shed
- Freestanding bathtubs, yea or nay?
- Raising attic floor for more insulation
- Turning a staircase
- How to secure jalousie windows?
| How I squared my old door frame to fit a new door Posted: 06 Feb 2021 02:15 PM PST Wanted to share how I squared out my old door frame to fit a new door. Every video I saw about installing a door always had a nicely square frame and when mine was far from it, I decided to document it. Lots of details in the album, but the gist of it was I removed the trim, cut out the top of the frame, trimmed down the jamb on the long side, put the top of the frame back in, reinstalled everything and retrimmed the door. Any questions ask away! [link] [comments] |
| 2 years. Hours of YouTube. A ton of Learning. Our first full renovation project. Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:12 PM PST Hey all, For the better part of 2 years, I've followed you all and learned from you as well as Youtube. 2 years ago my fiance and I took on a task that we had never done before in hopes of learning how to add skills to our arsenal, as well as hopefully (and thankfully did) find a hobby/passion that we could do the rest of our lives. Well... we did. To give a realistic view for those who are either hesitant to do so, or don't feel ready, we're 25 and 23 (23 and 21 at the time we bought), literally started with $600 in our savings with zero experience buying a home or doing anything like this before. We actually throughout the two years relied completely on cash each week from our job income to save up when we needed materials. We were told multiple times to refinance and get some cash-out, but we didn't want to go into debt in order to do it, simply because we didn't have an idea really of when we were wanting to sell. If I were to do it again, of course, I'd want to have a bit more cash on hand to do some of the projects a bit quicker for sure. When I went to my dad to tell him what our goal and vision was, he explained that he'd help when absolutely needed, otherwise, we'd have to learn ourselves and correct our mistakes when we made them. He's a plumber by trade but has done construction of all sorts for 25 years. That's where Youtube and this community came into play hugely. As you can see throughout the pictures, the house was in extremely rough shape. To give a synopsis and breakdown of everything, we live in a decent market in Iowa. We purchased the home for 80,000. After scouring bigger pockets for years, the biggest takeaway I ever got was: "you don't make money on the sale of your house, you make money on the purchase of your house". This completely stuck with me. The original asking price was $105,000. This past week (due to a hot market and decent timing of completing everything) we sold it for $167,000, which was the full asking price. By eliminating the $25,000 in costs upfront, that was our full renovation costs, so it was completely washed. I knew going in I'd be patient in finding the house that works best for us. We put in an offer on 4 separate properties over the course of 3 months until one was accepted. That's where we won was from the start. I'll give a breakdown of estimated costs associated with all of the projects as well as some of the easier things we learned compared to the more difficult that we either needed help on or had to hire. This was of course before lumber was so expensive, so doing the basement wasn't too bad compared to what it would be now. Upgrades: New Windows (13 total): $1400 AC/Furnace (Didn't have AC prior): $3500 Water Heater (Dad discount): $250 Vinyl Flooring: $2300 I think New doors: $1000 Carpet: $1200 Cabinets + Countertops: $6500 Appliances (Got a Presidents Day Sale from Lowe's): $2600 Electric Panel/New wiring: $1500 Shower: $850 Deck Planking (Found on Facebook market, someone was just giving them away): Free All in all our total reno costs with everything trickled in was a little over $24,000. I kept an excel sheet of everything we ever purchased to keep a good estimate for future homes we do. Highly recommend doing this to track not only what you're spending but to get a good idea for future projects. The things we had done that we weren't able to: Carpet Installation, AC/Furnace, Electrical Panel ( I ran a lot of wiring myself), Water Heater. Some of the surprisingly easy setups were the vinyl flooring, windows (replacement windows), doors, cabinets, shower, and even the toilets weren't bad. What's one project I'll never do again, no matter the size? Drywall. I don't know how some of you guys do it. I never knew a rage existed inside of me until I started doing drywall. By far the most timely and annoying project in the entire house. Anyway, that's our flip. I hope you guys enjoy and if you have any questions feel free to DM me. We got lucky with a hot market and a lot of things going right, so don't expect things to go that right every time. Cheers! [link] [comments] |
| Is silicone caulk obsolete now? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:50 AM PST While going for a tube to get silicone caulk to do the tub, I saw a lot of other bathroom caulks that had a bit of silicone in it but not like the classic silicone that stinks like vinegar and is a bitch to work with. I've used elastomeric caulks for trim and they are much more workable and easier to use. They seem new to me — any tradesman out there make the switch or still stick to the old school stuff? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 07:33 AM PST Has anyone here had a Tesla solar roof installed? My home is in need of a new roof and was considering Tesla as a possible option. It would be nice have the option of off grid power but I'm not sure how much this system generates. I live in Pennsylvania and have frequent overcast days. What are your thoughts on the system itself? Do you think it would greatly increase the homes value for resale within the next 10 years? [link] [comments] |
| Purchased a house. This plastic thing was left in it. What is it? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 08:47 PM PST It was left above the dryer so we think it has something to do with drying clothes? We can't for the life of us figure it out! Anyone have any idea? [link] [comments] |
| Does anyone know what’s going on with this pipe leak / odd concrete covering? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 07:56 PM PST So... in my basement there's a pipe that looks to be leaking. This pipe also looks to be encapsulated in a bit of concrete. Why the hell? It also has some 99 cent store looking clamps... before I start getting estimates and such, does anyone have general advice on what may be going on here? [link] [comments] |
| Insulating a basement without framing it Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:26 PM PST So I have to move the man cave down to the basement, which is right now bare concrete. We rent the house so we are not looking to completely refinish it. I am looking to see what you guys think is best for insulating the walls since we will not be framing it out. In NY it is very cold during the winter and pretty hot and humid during the summer. We do not have leaking issues down there which is a big plus. I will be drylok'ing the walls and floor tomorrow to be safe, and am thinking would rubber panels work for insulation and to make it look a little more homey than just concrete walls? I've seen rubber type wall panels but I cant find them online for the life of me. Does anyone have any ideas? [link] [comments] |
| Water pipes are vibrating the whole house Posted: 06 Feb 2021 07:21 PM PST The main culprit seems to be coming from directly behind the toilet downstairs. The entire wall vibrates and you can feel it around the whole house. As soon as you flush the toilet it stops though. The upstairs shower seems to do this as well but not as bad. Any idea what it is? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 07:07 PM PST I am currently renting a house which has white oak hardwood floors. I never figured they would be hard to maintain. My toddler decided to leave her sippy cup on the floor and the water leaked out. A few hours later, I noticed the water... Any ideas on how I can remove these water stains? I've ready that mineral oil and spirits could help. [link] [comments] |
| Need major help after using old paint! Posted: 06 Feb 2021 08:30 AM PST My wife recently painted 1 of 4 walls in a small bedroom with some old paint that was rancid. She did 1 whole wall with 2 coats before we realized it was bad. We stopped and let it dry for a couple days thinking the smell would go away. Two days later and the room smells horrible and when I go into the room within minutes my sinuses go on overload, but it doesn't bother her as much other than the horrific smell. We then went and bought a gallon of the Zinsser Mold Killing Primer that contains a fungicidal to kill any bacteria and supposed to eliminate odor. We painted the wall with the primer putting on two coats and letting it dry between coats. Waited till the next day and repainted the wall with a brand new can of latex white paint, we also have been keeping an fan in the window to vent the smell for about a week. It's now been two weeks and the terrible sour mildew smell is as bad or worse than it was from the beginning. What are my options here, we cannot even go in to the room at all the smell is so bad.Am I going to have to rip all the sheetrock out of that wall and replace it. I am open to any ideas at this point and am desperate. [link] [comments] |
| can I wear N95 instead of a construction worker's respirator? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 07:34 AM PST will the n95 work in place of the actual respirator that a lot of workers who paint, expose themselves to dust, etc wear? i do not have money to buy one and just want to work with what I have. Thoughts? [link] [comments] |
| Has anyone used Pylex helical piers for a deck? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 04:44 PM PST I am considering building a deck (10'x15') on a small slope in the back and I see these helical piers from Pylex offered at HD. Has anyone used them for a deck? We have clay soil and the idea of digging the footings is not endearing to my back. Given how low it is, I thought about just the concrete block footings too but I have a tendency to overdo it so was looking at the piers. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 03:53 PM PST Hey Guys I have a cinderblock foundation wall leaning in about a half inch at the top. The wall is 8 feet wide and 7 feet tall and has 2 relatively thin horizontal cracks 3 feet long along mortar lines and 2 stair step cracks. There was some hydrostatic pressure issues causing this that has been addressed with sloping and drain tile. What is the best way to repair this wall? I am looking at using steel beam braces (gorilla wall braces) or carbon fiber straps (rhino carbon fiber). This wall is not in a finished area and has a lot of utilities near it so no future plans to finish it either. I don't like the look of steel I beams because I feel like it could scare off potential buyers of the property in the future but I know these can stop movement and correct the problem. I am leaning towards carbon fiber straps that mount to the sill plate and drill into the footer because of the visual appearance. Though this only arrests the problem and doesnt correct it. But it's only a half inch so not really noticeable. The carbon fiber company also stressed that its bad to put a cinderblock wall in a state of compression on both sides and steel beams dont get full contact against the wall to distribute pressure evenly. Wasn't sure if that was sales propaganda or actually true. Does anyone have any experience good or bad with either of these products or have any "structural engineering" style advice on why one would be better for the other? Thanks again for the advice, I dont come from a family of handymen so you guys are my only sounding board. [link] [comments] |
| What is this iron pipe in my living room ceiling? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 12:42 PM PST I'm trying to change out the main light fixture in my living room and beside the old knob and tube wiring there is a cut iron pipe that terminates right where I need to put a junction box. It's already cut so I'm not worried about cutting it further but I am curious as to what it could be. As I said it is in our front living room so it's definitely not plumbing, could it have been gas? Home is a 1905 craftsman in the Pacific Northwest Pictures: https://imgur.com/gallery/mW8YGWv [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:04 PM PST Pretty sure this is our cold air return, but I'm new to homes with central air... There's a ton of cold air leaking in here. How can I clean this up and make it right? The actual duct seems to go up the wall but You can see the cold air making the insulation blow around in the lower hole. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:52 PM PST I have a wood fireplace with a gas hook up for a log starter. I am wondering if you guys had an opinion on converting it to a full gas insert and if it is more efficient as far as money goes if I'm not chopping my own wood. As well if it makes a difference in the value of the house? Got a price for 6k to convert, what do you think? [link] [comments] |
| Hanging backer board, tub spaced from wall Posted: 06 Feb 2021 12:10 PM PST Redoing the whole of the bathroom, it seems. Previously plaster lath walls. Here's the gallery: https://imgur.com/gallery/rlCaZex So the tub looks like it still has lath from the old plaster wall behind it. I know ordinarily the answer would be to shim it out so that the front face of the half inch backer board would extend past the tub lip. But that would require me to shim the -entire wall-, right? And if I do that, the backer and tile then would raise the plane of the wall such that the trim on the window (partially removed at the moment) would no longer lay flush on the window and wall. So how do I handle this? I'd rather not go trying to modify the trim, it's all old original wood and I'm no skilled woodworker. It's a cast iron tub, and as such it'd be a royal PitA to move it to rip the lath off the wall so I could push the tub to be flush with the studs. Assuming that I COULD shove it that half inch if the lath wasn't there. Anyone have any ideas for me? [link] [comments] |
| Soundproofing: how much can a wooden desk filling help? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 08:23 PM PST I live with my girlfriend in a shared apartment. One of the guys who live here has asthma and sometimes coughs loudly which has become quite annoying in the recent days since we both work from home and this is a huge distraction for both of us. The owner of the house wants to keep his door in for aesthethical purposes, so I can't buy soundproof one. He was more open towards my suggestion to at least remove the glass filling (which I believe is likely a factor there since it's just 4mm wide) and install a solid wooden desk filling in. At the end of the day though, I'm not sure how much that is gonna help and my girlfriend is having doubts about that as well, so I'd like to ask what do you think about it. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 08:03 PM PST My contractor recently installed the base of the sink, countertop, and all the cabinets for a bar in the basement. However, before installing the faucet, I saw that the sink was not lined up with the cabinets — in other words, assuming the faucet would go in the middle of the sink, this would not align with the middle of the two cabinets below....in fact, it is over to the left by 3-4 inches, which is quite noticeable in my opinion. I've told him my concerns and he just responded with a "I'll take a look". Does anyone know if it is even possible for him to fix it at this point? What should I do? [link] [comments] |
| A shed that doesn't look like a shed Posted: 06 Feb 2021 03:58 PM PST I'm planning to build a 10'x20' storage shed in my back yard. My backyard is terraced up and the shed will be on the top terrace and visible from the road. I'd like to make it look finished and not like a "shed" (if that makes sense) What finishes should I consider to make it look more presentable? I'm planning to put in some window, overhang the roof, have a real door, use siding....etc. But any other tips or thoughts would be much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Freestanding bathtubs, yea or nay? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 05:16 PM PST We're working on plans to renovate/redecorate our guest bath. It has an...interesting layout. A vanity to the left and another straight ahead, with the bathtub in the corner between them. It's a prefab, the kind with sides that transition into the wall on two corners. We'd like to open up the space a bit by replacing the vanities and tub with freestanding fixtures, but we're concerned about the practicality of trying to shower in a tub that's not boxed in. People who have (or have experienced) a freestanding tub, what do you think about them? Would you recommend getting one? [link] [comments] |
| Raising attic floor for more insulation Posted: 06 Feb 2021 06:55 PM PST My garage/workshop is currently unfinished and I'm in the process of finishing the ceiling so I can install a mini split to work in the winter. The current ceiling joists are 2x6, but I'm blowing in cellulose so my plan was to remove the plywood floor in the attic, add perpendicular 2x6 joists to raise the total depth of insulation space to ~12" and then replace the floor on top of that. The current floor doesn't run all the way to the soffit, for those edges I have no problem blowing insulation to the same depth and not caring if there's a floor or not, I'm not going to store anything at those far edges. But the existing floor is still 16'x40' (which I would like to keep the same size even though it's overkill). 1) Does anyone have any suggestions for attaching the new joists perpendicular to the existing joists? Simple toe nail along the length, steel rafter ties or something else? 2) At ~$8 per 2x6 and needing about 65 joists for 16"oc this is more expensive than I was hoping for. Does anyone have any suggestions for accomplishing the same results cheaper? Any opinion on 24"oc for the attic floor? The existing joists are 16"oc. (For what it's worth the existing floor looks to be 1/4 plywood which has shown some sagging. I've added a few 1/2 OSB sheets which appear to do much better, but I haven't decided if I want to buy enough to layer over the entire floor yet. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2021 10:27 PM PST We have a staircase we would like to modify by having the bottom part (last 3 to 5 steps) turn 90 degrees. Any recommendations for how to do this myself, whether to leave it to a pro, where to find relevant information etc.? [link] [comments] |
| How to secure jalousie windows? Posted: 06 Feb 2021 10:12 PM PST Moved into a new rental and there is a jalousie window right by the front door. Its actually kind of broken, and the handles are broken off so you can easily push them in and out to open them. I locked the keys inside the house one day, took the screen off, opened the windows and easily reached over and unlocked my door. Any tips on how to secure these windows? Thank you. [link] [comments] |
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