Home Improvement: I don't want to rip up the floor until I know I've saved enough for the project, but can't know how much to save for the project until I've ripped up the floor. |
- I don't want to rip up the floor until I know I've saved enough for the project, but can't know how much to save for the project until I've ripped up the floor.
- New Garage Epoxy Floor
- Hiding concrete Pergola post base recommendations
- Blowing insulation behind existing drywall
- Get rid of small scratches all over granite countertops
- Our DIY Master Closet Remodel
- Just bought a house and it has an outdoor kitchen. Don't know what to do with it.
- Will a Pea Gravel Patio Negate the Need for a French Drain?
- Help me find this flooring
- Advice on working with a designer?
- Basement Subfloor
- Using LED bubs in new dimmable light fixture
- What do I do with this old washer/dryer hookup situation?
- Termite Structural Damage Inspection
- How much to move a toilet back 5 inches? Is it hard to do?
- Carpet tiles... yeah or nay?
- Painting Bathroom Tiles
- Wall bolt in concrete block is losing grip and bolt does not tighten
- How to test if a circuit has GFCI without access to ground wire? (pool light, old house, no schematics)
- What about be the best way to repair this drywall and trim crack beside the kitchen cabinet
- Granite Countertop Sealant
- Pot Lights
- Best way to add a master with a bathroom - Over an existing structure or in the attic?
- Should I repoint my chimney before replacing vinyl siding?
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 06:08 AM PST Hoping to install a stall shower in our laundry room BR. There is plumbing there, obvs, but not shower pipes. I have no idea how much it costs to add plumbing to a shower. $500? $5,000? $10,000? Fuck knows. So, I thought, I'll get a quote! But I can't understand how anyone could give a remotely accurate quote with the floor still in place. How does it work to get a quote for plumbing under the floor without first ripping up the floor? **Edit, since people are asking for actual details of the floor, not slab. Crawlspace underneath. I'll get a bunch of quotes, take the most expensive, double that, and have that be my savings goal :) [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 07:28 PM PST First post got removed, guess I didn't have enough details so will try again. [link] [comments] |
| Hiding concrete Pergola post base recommendations Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:19 PM PST Hey friends, 1) I installed a pergola last year and the concrete post bases ended up being poured a few inches above grade. I'm looking for some ways to make them not look so ugly. The actual post bases are black Simpson strong tie bases so ideally I'd like to preserve the look, minus the ugly concrete base. I'll try and post a pic. 2) It was installed over a grass area so I'm also looking for ways to finish up the space instead of just leaving it as grass. Ideally I'd like to keep it budget friendly. My original thought was to lay large pavers in a grid pattern with rocks in between each of them. But I'm open to other ideas! Pic for reference https://imgur.com/a/bBoim7A [link] [comments] |
| Blowing insulation behind existing drywall Posted: 05 Feb 2021 04:49 PM PST We have a room with a wall where there is no insulation between the inside drywall and the exterior plywood/siding. We are looking for DIY methods to add insulation. We aren't expecting a perfect solution but are looking for a method with reasonable improvement (thermal insulation, sound deadening) for the level of effort/cost involved. The leading idea so far is blown insulation, specifically cellulose. We are thinking to bore circular holes in each area between the studs (near the ceiling), feed the blower hose in, and blast away until it starts packing out the hole. We would then replace the circle, mud it in, paint and finish. We are thinking the blower pressure and gravity will settle/pack the material at the bottom of the space. Is this a dumb idea? Anyone see major flaws with this, or anyone done this and can share results? [link] [comments] |
| Get rid of small scratches all over granite countertops Posted: 05 Feb 2021 04:50 PM PST We just moved into a house and have noticed small scratches all over the granite when the light hits them right. They are all in swirl patterns and you can feel the slight indentation so I'm sure they are scratches. It looks like the previous owner tried to clean them with something abrasive, maybe steel wool? Any ideas how to get them out? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 10:46 AM PST Here's our Master Closet Remodel! We always wanted to remodel our closet after buying the house and I've found a lot of ideas online and had all the intentions of actually building my own shelves/closet out of plywood until I stumbled across 2 brand new closet systems being sold on Facebook Marketplace and I couldn't pass on the price. The kits were designed for closets larger than ours, so I had to figure out which section or sections to exclude and how much to cut off the corner shelves to make everything work in out 7x8 closet. The kits is what gave me the motivation to finally tackle this project. Overall project description:
Overall thoughts: the closet system looks and functions perfectly, however, I don't think that each kit is worth the retail price. I would buy it at the price I paid all day long though. I don't really like the horizontal mounting bracket being so visible, but I guess after you put clothes back on the rack, they hide it. I just wish the bracket was mounted higher up so it's closer to the top shelf or maybe even above it. The instructions were straight forward but I did deviate by securing the top shelves with screws from the sides instead of relying on gravity to hold them down on top of the little metal pegs and I felt like it made the kits more secure. I also deviated on the hanger rod placement and left a larger gap between the rod and the shelves above to not have to worry about different hanger types. I did 98% of the work solo and only needed a 2nd set of hands lifting the pre-assembled corner sections on the horizontal mounting rods. I think there were 3-4 sections that I did not include from the full kit due to having a smaller closet than what the kits were designed for. Price breakdown: Ultimate 84 in. W - 115 in. W White Wood Closet Corner System - I picked up 2 systems for $750 for both on Facebook MarketPlace but linking to the actual product for sale. They come in 9 boxes per kit. You can cut the rods and shelves if needed to fit your needs. I just had to cut the corner shelves to make this work while removing 2-3 sections. I will find a place for them eventually. Maybe in the garage. Ultra Slim 6 in. Color Selectable New Construction and Remodel Canless Recessed Integrated LED Kit (4-Pack) - $90 for these recessed lights. I have installed these in almost every room of the house. Since the junction box detaches from the light, the light puck is so slim that it will fit in the opening even if there's a ceiling joist, so installation is a breeze. Color temperature is also selectable and these newer models now have 5 color temperatures vs 3 (though you have to select the temps at the time of installation). I used Super Paint by SW in satin tinted in Touch of Sand for the walls. For trim and ceiling, I used leftover HD paint from another project. Keep an eye out on the 30-40% of SW paints. I find their paint to be much better than big box stores and after their 30-40% off sale, it's similar in price. I bought 2 gallons of Super Paint and it was around $80. Drywall patches, mud, ceiling texture - I had all of this on hand, but I'd estimate $30 if I had to buy it. Crown, base, 1/4 round were leftover from another project/room - I'd estimate ~$100 Flooring + underlayment is probably around $250, probably less. Misc items like brushes, motion sensing switch, HVAC register, ducting, wires: ~$200 The wall safe was purchased 2-3 years ago on Amazon. We really like it and I can probably still dig it up if anyone inquires. I think it was ~$150. Total: around $1500 give or take and it took a little under 2 weeks to complete mainly just waiting for drywall mud and paint to dry. The actual closet system install was about 1-2 days. If you are just installing 1 system, then probably a day. [link] [comments] |
| Just bought a house and it has an outdoor kitchen. Don't know what to do with it. Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:09 AM PST Looking for ideas for what to turn this space into. House doesn't have a dryer, so temporarily putting a dryer next to the washer hookups and running high voltage for it. I'm thinking maybe an outdoor bar? Maybe keep it as a kitchen, but don't really know what I would use the oven for. Never really seen an outdoor kitchen that wasn't just a grill and a sink, but with the enclosed ceiling I don't know if a grill would damage the ceiling. [link] [comments] |
| Will a Pea Gravel Patio Negate the Need for a French Drain? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 08:25 PM PST We have a draining issue in our backyard where some water drains towards the house. We've been told that the two solutions for this are re-leveling the backyard so that the water only flows away from the house instead of both away and towards the house and/or installing a French drain. I've wanted to install a patio in this area since moving in anyways. I read online that sometimes pea gravel helps drainage issues and forms part of French drains anyways. Will placing a pea gravel patio in this area solve the problem or will we need to plan to install the French drain along with the patio anyways? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:30 PM PST My wife and I bought a house and we are needing some help finding out what brand and color (most importantly brand) this flooring is so we can hopefully buy some more. I am hoping the wizards and wizardess in this forum will be able to tell by the backing what brand it is. There is no click and lock or tounge and groove and the flooring is a little under a quarter inch thick. Let me know if there are any other details to help narrow it down. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Advice on working with a designer? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 07:09 PM PST My family has been working with a designer/architect co. to remodel the ground floor of our house. We have a contract, and we set an 85K budget for the buildout prior to the design process. We were told we could loft the ceiling for about 20-25K so we increased the budget to 115K. We have paid our designer over $8k in total for these services, which include time spent choosing finishes, etc. Recently, we received an estimate from the designer's preferred contractor for 36% higher than our target budget. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:34 PM PST I am looking at subfloor options for my basement. Right now my basement has been gutted and walls electrical plumbing and hvac are mostly re-done now. Now I am on the the flooring debate. We are thinking carpet in the 2 kids rooms and LVT for the rest. I like the idea of the airflow under the flooring as well as adding a bit of warmth and a bit more flex. One area will be used as a dance space for my daughters so the subfloor helps make it a little better than dancing with just LVT on the concrete. I was looking at the barricade system at lowes as an option but it can get pricey. I have about 1700 sq.ft. to do so need over 550 tiles. They are on sale right now for $1.00 off which would help. The other option is the DMX Airflow option but with the price of plywood right now it ends up costing more than barricade but I think it would be easier to install. They also have the DMX for LVT and avoid the plywood but I haven't looked into it much yet. Just thought I would check in here to see what others have done or would recommend. If I go barricade I want to make sure I get them ordered before the sale ends. [link] [comments] |
| Using LED bubs in new dimmable light fixture Posted: 05 Feb 2021 04:19 PM PST We are planning to replace a ceiling fan that has a couple of small bulbs (on a dimmer) with a new light fixture (no fan) that has 15 E26 bulbs. We plan to use LED bulbs for this. The specs for the fixture say "dimmable" ... I'm not an electrician so I did not realize that the fixture itself had anything to do with "dimmability". Fine. The specs do not mention using LED bulbs. I'm thinking of buying some E26 ST64 60W-equivalent LED dimmable bulbs (phew!) Will these kind of bulbs work in this fixture? Do I need a particular kind/brand of bulb? Do I need a particular dimmer? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| What do I do with this old washer/dryer hookup situation? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 07:59 PM PST Before I purchased my home the previous owner did some renovations in order to make it a two bedroom home, one of which included putting a new washer/dryer hookup in the kitchen. That's all well and good but he left the old hookups, some sort of wall vent, vent tube for the dryer, and 30 amp outlet. It's in the middle of the wall in my spare bedroom, and it's got to go. Can I just remove the plastic plates, cap off the water lines and drywall over everything, or do I need to call in a plumber to remove the lines? No clue what to do about the 30 amp outlet sticking out of my floor either.. Any help would be much appreciated! [link] [comments] |
| Termite Structural Damage Inspection Posted: 05 Feb 2021 06:05 PM PST I've put an offer on a home and the inspection revealed termite damage to the structure. Half the home is a slab and the other half is supported by a wood frame. A portion of the wood frame had termite damage. I'm trying to assess the extent of the damage. What kind of professional would be best suited to determine this? [link] [comments] |
| How much to move a toilet back 5 inches? Is it hard to do? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 08:57 PM PST I want I do a pretty simple DIY on my hall bathroom, which is quite small. We've already replaced the toilet with a brand new one and will probably replace the vanity and put in some shelving and paint and maybe some simple new floor tiling and that's it. The only problem is that this is one of those old bathrooms where the toilet was actually installed about 5 inches out from the wall because there used to be a ledge behind it connected with the vanity. Now the bathroom has a pretty basic builder grade vanity and a giant space behind the toilet about 5 to 6 inches deep. My question is how hard would it be for a plumber to shift the toilet back five or six inches so that it's against the wall? Is this really hard to do - is it expensive? I have no idea. Any other ideas on how to deal with this that isnt super ugly? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 08:22 PM PST We are redoing our entire upstairs flooring soon, reasons and explanation (TL/DR) will be below. I'm aiming towards using carpet tiles/squares instead of standard carpeting. Wondering if anyone else has used them in a home environment and what their experience has been. The info dump: We own a house of moderate size in a good market. When we bought the house the existing carpet in the upstairs bedrooms needed replacement but we've done our best to stretch out it's lifespan. Outside of the carpet is shite vinyl faux oak and some tile in the kitchen and bathroom that's fairly busted. Family is two adult humanoids, an 11 year old human spawn, 2 canines and a cat that should be a deity. Last year our youngest canine was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia, noted after a horrific and seemingly unending series of falls on the shite vinyl floor. Since then we've obviously done many vet visits and done our best to safety proof the house (and endless sea of throw rugs to give her traction). My amazing father in law has offered to help us replace our "dangerous" floors with carpet. Now the issue. I work in an office that has twice had carpet tiles put in place, have a good relationship with the contractor who installed it, and when I presented him with our pups dilemma he wholeheartedly agreed that carpet tiles would not only be effective but affordable and long term the best way to deal with carpeting. If we spill and it stains? Pop a new tile there. If our furry babies snag a claw in the pile? Pop a new tile. My husband is still inclined towards traditional carpeting, but I feel like it comes with more cons than pros, especially for how our life is currently (and foreseeably) we aren't that tidy, hate stains but still have a brood of stain causers... It sounds, to me, like our ultimate answer to flooring. Basically, wondering if anyone has done it themselves and hated it for a legit reason. Also should add; we've cut holes in some doors to make the cats life easier. Resale value is not on our radar. I can see an argument against this type of Arles for that reason, but it's not something we are worried about. Just mainly daily life etc. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 02:04 PM PST I just purchased a home not too long ago and am planning my renovations. In the meantime of prepping for full renovations which will be down the road (removing walls, retiling, new fixtures, etc.) I was thinking of a temporary cosmetic solution to fix the tiles in my bathrooms. Have you guys had success painting over bathroom tiles? I researched a bit and saw some youtube videos, which can take 2-3 days and using epoxy paint but how do you feel with the end result? Any tips or product recommendations? [link] [comments] |
| Wall bolt in concrete block is losing grip and bolt does not tighten Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:50 PM PST I have a gate, and the the gate is attached to a solid block wall with 2 wall bolts. The bolt has started to pull put, the bolt turns, but no longer tightens. Added picture of the Wall bolt / Anchor : Thanks for any suggestions / help!!!! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 04:48 PM PST I'll have access to the bulb socket once I take the light out and remove the bulb. Is there a way to test if there is GFCI installed earlier in the circuit if there is no ground available for the GFCI tester? [link] [comments] |
| What about be the best way to repair this drywall and trim crack beside the kitchen cabinet Posted: 05 Feb 2021 06:57 PM PST The brown wooden panels on the left are the kitchen cabinets. The black stuff are paint that was done very poorly by the person who lived there before. It is an 8 year old condo on the 24th floor, so not sure why the drywall would crack like this. (Do apartment towers settle?). What would be the best way to fix the drywall and the baseboard without a mitre saw? Can I just use spackle to fill in the drywall crack, and then wood filler to fill out the baseboard, sand, and repaint? Or is taping and new baseboard piece definitely required? Thanks. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 06:57 PM PST Recommendations on Sealant? We have caramel cream granite counters in our new build and I am looking to seal them. They're new and shiny now, but I started noticing that the granite gets dark when water sits on it, so I try to wipe it dry as soon as I see it. What type of sealer would you recommend? 511 seal and enhance Stonetech Bulletproof Gel-gloss Other [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 05 Feb 2021 05:42 PM PST Hey there, I'm completing a home renovation, which currently means the ceiling and walls are down. I've been toying with the idea of adding some pot lights. The building is fairly old (1920) but the wiring has been updated - at least since K&T. Two questions. 1) recommendations on lumens? Costco has a pack of 2 pot lights for $24+/-. They are 605 Lumens, 11 watts, 5000 K lights. Do you think those would be sufficient? The space im lighting is about 100 sq.ft. den and was planning on installing four lights. 2) ...how difficult is it to install. I've watched several YouTube video's of the actual installation, but can find a decent one regarding the actual wiring (changing out the wire from the switch to the light, assuming I should.) Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Best way to add a master with a bathroom - Over an existing structure or in the attic? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 02:56 PM PST Hello, Within the next year my wife and I are hoping to add a new master bedroom with an en suite. Right now we have a standard bedroom, but we are 5 (and possibly) 6 people sharing one hallway bathroom, which is unsustainable. We live in a 1940s colonial that had ground level den added on one side of the house. Our options to add the new room would be to either add out on top of that den or to use our ample unused attic space. Going above the den would require reconfirming at least one other bedroom to add a hallway, but there would be no stairs involved. However the new bathroom would be quite far from our existing plumbing. If we do the attic we would likely use space in one of the bedrooms to add stairs, but we could have the bathroom directly above the existing plumbing. We're at the very start of this so I'm hoping for some opinions on: which would be more expensive, by approximately how much? Which would take longer? Would either be better for increasing the property value? Any other thoughts or ideas that might help. Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Should I repoint my chimney before replacing vinyl siding? Posted: 05 Feb 2021 03:36 PM PST I had my roof shingles replaced. They discovered the chimney on the side of my colonial needs repointing, many loose bricks. Water seepage. The siding is backordered about 4 weeks. The siding guy recommended I find a mason BEFORE the new siding is installed so they dont get mortar on the new siding. Is that really a concern? Or do masons usually prep the surrounding area first? It's winter now and temps arent usually over 35 degrees. I dont know if masons can work in this weather. Any thoughts? Thanks [link] [comments] |
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