Home Improvement

Hello all,

I bought a house a few months ago and am planning out improvements and such. When I had the house inspected, we discovered that this mysterious door in the basement was actually the entrance to a former bulkhead that was renovated over (a laundry room and small mudroom were built over it).

It's basically concrete walls/foundation with some exposed studs and beams along the top, some loose insulation and such, and then a set of concrete stairs connecting to the foundation/walls. My realtor suggested turning it into a wine cellar kind of thing, but I would prefer to use it as a lumber storage area for a side business I'm trying to build. To do so, however, I would need to remove the concrete stairs.

Can I just remove them (with power tools) without any damage to the foundation or structural integrity? Should I have someone come check it out first and make sure it's safe? It's wasted space currently, and I'd prefer to be able to use more of the space if possible.

Thank you for any advice/tips/etc!

My project is going slowly, but I finished building and painting the feature wall in my son's new bedroom. Now I just need to install and program the LED strip along the top!

My wife got the idea to do a geometric mountain feature wall from Pinterest. I am really happy with this outcome and feel I did a better job than the influencer DIYers who did similar projects that inspired this one. Giving the mountains a 36° slope to match the roof line was a pain in the butt, but the end effect was worth it.

Thanks to everyone here who helps with thoughts on patching wall cracks and LED lighting methods. I'll share photos of the full room once it is complete.

Edit to add: The wall is actually a mildly dark blue-green. Between bad natural light and my phone's camera's limitations, this is the best I can get for now. The mountains are not actually black.

cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/12265699

If you are looking for a new obsession

This video is a deep dive into HVAC systems, but each of his videos are pretty interesting and about different topics.

The flippers who installed the plastic shower liner only cut the faucet handle holes big enough for the stems and I need to replace the cartridges. I used a jab saw for one but that sucked, what kind of Dremel bit can I use?

Hey!

Currently doing drywall myself and I am using 6x6 cm squared timber around my outside walls.

The problem is they aren't as stable as the other walls inside the house because of the 6x6 cm squared timbers that are about 30cm distance from each other.

I will screw my plasterboards on the squared timber and only one plasterboard, not two.

I have two pictures of what my construction looks like from far and one from close.

Maybe someone can give me advice before I install the plasterboard onto it.

The only problem I currently see is finding the subconstruction once I put the plasterboards back on. But other than that, if I find them can I install the cabinets safely?

I bought a mostly livable fixer upper. The previous attempt to renovate the bathroom themselves and really made some mistakes I don't know how to fix. They replaced the vanity (already damaged cosmetically) and tiled one wall. There is dried grout everywhere. On the wall, the molding, the vanity (which is grouted in) on the tiles. Idk how to begin getting the grout off these surfaces.

I will probably just replace the molding but what about the wall and the vanity? What about the tile it's self?

So I'm planning out a bathroom remodel and part of that is replacing the vent fan because currently mine is just venting into my attic (no bueno). I know normally bathrooms are vented out through the roof but my bathroom is on an exterior wall so I was wondering if I could just vent it out the side of the house. I'm going to be ripping open that wall anyways and I would much rather cut a hole in the side of the house than run a vent pipe up through the roof.

Also I'm in Minnesota if climate is a concern.

I am putting a mountain feature wall in my son's new bedroom.

Starting on the right, I want to run LEDs along the topmost mountains, switch to unlit cord/wire to go around the window, and then run another set of LEDs along the topmost mountain on the left. This should give a nice sunrise effect.

Do you know of an LED kit that can do this?

Thank you!

I'm cleaning this cabinet above the range/micro and noticed this mark on the back. I mostly keep cooking oils, vinegars, etc in here. Does this look serious?

Update: well it ain't pretty, but it shouldn't burn the house down. For anyone concerned, my electrician approves. Thank you all for your help today.

I am renovating my son's bedroom and trying to make the walls as nice as is reasonable before repainting. There are a few cracks like this in the paint. It looks like on top of the drywall there is paint, wallpaper, and then a few more layers of paint. The cracks could be at the seams of the drywall from expansion and contraction. They could be at the seams of the wallpaper. They could be something else. Most of the cracks come straightish down below the sides of windows, which makes me think drywall seams.

I gouged out one crack and filled it with joint compound to see how that works. Since the drywall is old, it was really hard to tell if this is at a drywall seam or not - there are places where previous work, maybe mouse damage, and who knows what else has made the drywall crumble from behind. These are the joys of an older house!

How would you handle this?

1950s house with block foundation. I’ve patched these areas with hydraulic cement. That didn’t work so I stripped and cleaned the areas thoroughly then repatched. It improved but still getting lots of leaking where the foundation and floor meet or just above.

The main trouble spot sits next to the water heater where some old oil tank lines were. Can I safely cut those out with an angle grinder and try to patch that up? There’s a giant concrete hump that encases them where the water leaks over too.

Our exterior is naturally moist. We’ve got a sump pump, French drain, gutters discharges all well away from the house. Short of digging up and putting in new footer tiles (which I definitely can’t afford now), I’m at a loss.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Waterproof paint? Block filler?

I've been noticing an occasional sewer smell in my bathroom, and finally realized it's only present when it's below freezing outside. As soon as the weather warms up, the smell goes away. For reference, my house was built in '55 and the toilet is plumbed into the original steel sewer line. There are no leaks (everything below the upstairs bathroom is easily accessible from the basement), and no issues flushing. House has sewer service, so no septic tank to worry about.

Could it just be the steel pipe contracting in the cold? If so, would replacing the wax seal address the issue?

Additionally, if that's plausible, would putting a space heater near the steel pipe help by warming it back up (temporary solution to address the smell). Basement is finished and conditioned, but I don't heat it for comfort unless we're spending time down there. I'll just deal with it being 60 degrees when I'm doing laundry.

If not, any other ideas? That's my only hypothesis, so hoping to get some feedback.

I've got no problem calling in a plumber and plan to do so, but I'd just like to have an idea of what I'm up against so I can set expectations for pricing and such.

Edit: Have ruled out dry drain traps. Current plan is to just let the plumber figure it out and hope for the best. Thanks for the suggestions.

https://files.catbox.moe/f32j05.jpg https://files.catbox.moe/lsi2fh.jpg https://files.catbox.moe/3kktlv.jpg https://files.catbox.moe/5m1j31.jpg https://files.catbox.moe/2biy91.jpg

Here is my problem: I have an old house - nearly 100 years old - that I need to insulate but I have a few problems and concerns I need to deal with. The walls are essentially stone and an old kind on solid cement block.

I've been looking into the insulation solutions available in my market and it is basically a matter of gluing thick boards of styrofoam-like material to the walls.

On the outwalls this is not feaseable as the house faces a road with no sidewalk, so I'd be encroaching onto the road. Inside, adding 5cm of insulation would make small rooms smaller to the point some would be, for all practical purposes, rendered into generous pantries.

Because I live in a somewhat rural area, mice and rodents are a concern, so adding materials they can chew through makes no sense. It would be like supplying an easy to move through medium to run the entire house. I have seen houses and buildings with this kind of insulation chewed into, the moment the smallest of pieces of the hard plaster gets cracked, which is very easy. The added fire hazard is a concern as well, I'll admit.

I've already seen cork insulation but the base color is always brown and does not deal well with being painted on.

What other options may I look into? I'm in southern Europe but in an area with harsh winters.

Drawing

Red is a concrete foundation. Black is rotting wood foundation that needs to be replaced.

Foundation issues suck. House has foundation issues. Most of the foundation will need to be replaced. Part of the house currently has a wood foundation which is rotting. There is an addition which has a concrete foundation. (See image above).

I know that the wood foundation can be replaced with a pier and post foundation. They can stabilize the house, dig and pour piers, then use metal posts to brace the house at the right height.

Is a pier and post foundation the only option? Is there a way to do a concrete foundation?

Edit: The image is a top down look at the perimeter of the house. The red part is a ~600 sqft addition. The black part is the main house.

Homeowner with a decent amount of handiness but wondering if I’m going to bite off more than I can chew. Is it worth it to try and remove the old shower tub combo and replace it with a new one pretty much by myself? I realize this is a bit of a loaded question and can’t really be answered without knowing my skills but if anyone with skills can share some tips or steer me away from attempting this that would be much appreciated.

My new (first) home needs some significant siding repair. Wenconsider ourselves handy but it's a lot for us to handle and we want to have the insulation redone as well.

Pros and cons of various types of siding?

Tips for working with contractors?

What is the difference between roofing companies, exterior companies and the general reno or contractors? It looks like in my area they will almost all do the same siding work. Is it just a difference in naming?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/45354

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/645809278769635471

These just go out with the other recycling, right?

#cfl #mercury #lightbulb #ewaste #recycling #garbagenight

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It's leaking right where the arrow is pointing. It only leaks when it's refilling the tank after each use. The two outside carbon filters were new in March but the middle (reverse osmosis) filter is probably a year or more older. I'm hoping it just needs a new RO filter and that it's only leaking because it's clogged. Any advice? I feel like that notch it's leaking from is meant to relieve the pressure when clogged.

I have a small barn like structure on the back of my property that I have started fixing up. Previous owners have done stuff to it as well and I came across this part in the loft. As can be seen in the pictures this light shining through into the inside from the soffit/facia, if that's what it would be in this scenario.

What I am wondering is, is it okay to seal that up? From the other side of the structure, it looks like they are mostly boarded up. I want to try to keep the place at a somewhat decent temperature so I would like to seal it up with some foam to keep spiders and bugs out.

Let me know if you need any more info or pictures. Also I do know about the moss on one side of the roof, that side doesn't get much sun and I live in a wet climate and it has like 3 large trees surrounding it.

Light shining through from the next picture.

where light is shining in from

A wider angle of the area the light is shining in from

front of the structure that appears to be sealed off

I'm planning on converting a 21x21 garage to a living room in the next couple years. I've got pretty much everything figured out I believe, and it seems a bit simpler than the bonus room conversion I finished earlier this year.

Has anyone done this, and have any tips / unexpected things I might encounter?

Thing's Ive investigated / confirmed / planned so far:

• Leveling the graded concrete floor
• Filling the entrance hole with an exterior rated wall + windows
• Insulating the preexisting exterior wall segments
• HVAC connection
• Additional electrical outlets
• Framing an entrance to the space in the adjacent load bearing wall

Second guessing before I brute force this and break the cartridge. It should just pull straight out at this point?

See title. Is it the spring lifting one side off the ground or is it something else like the cable on that side? Thanks for any advice!

Edit: From what I can tell the door and the floor are both slightly off level in opposite directions. I also just replaced the bottom seal in an attempt to fix this.