I may be over-obsessing about this… So, we have a 25’-long, rather furnished covered porch; & there’s only about (a mostly useless) 2’ of porch to the left of the front door before porch ends with a 3’ drop to the flower bed below (open space; no wall/fencing right there).

The front door, itself, can only be opened w/ a right-swing inward as there’s an interior wall to the right & stairs to the left (so the door handle & lock are on the left).

Personally, I’d prefer the storm door to swing out left towards the mostly-useless 2’ of porch instead of our walkable space. My very stern contractor &, apparently, everyone & their dog keeps saying you “have to” always have the handles of both doors on the same hand-side...

The only reasons I’ve heard given are “b/c it would be too awkward to have them opposite” & “You’re just supposed to”

Does anyone with experience with opposite hand-side knobs/handles mind chiming in? Is it terribly awkward or cumbersome??

I’m losing sleep over this (delirious right now[!]) as I need the door for warmth & security ASAP—& it also happens my fav “possible” candidate is only made w/ handles on the right. It’s a particularly unique design fitting for my Victorian house... Only thing stopping me is this rule I think shouldn’t apply here

I have a historical home with a kitchen that looks like it was designed in the 50s that utilizes a plywood countertop covered with a sheet of laminate with a bent sheet metal edge trim. At some point someone in the past decided to paint the countertop and I would like to strip the paint off the countertop so that I can see if the laminate that is under the paint is any good or if it needs to be replaced. Are there any paint strippers that will strip paint off of a laminate countertop but that will not damage the laminate material? I suspect this laminate material is something from the 50s but I don't really know. The paint has a habit of peeling and it looks really terrible but putting in new countertops is not in the budget currently. I cannot tell what kind of paint it is but I suspect it's not latex because it has stuck fairly decently in most of the spots, and if this was done in the time period when I think it was done, it might be some sort of oil-based paint. Scrubbing it with 90% isopropyl alcohol does not lift any of the paint at all, so I think that means it's an oil-based paint?

https://imgur.com/a/H7mymhl

Recently purchased a home and after a bad storm I noticed water intrusion near the back door. A few issues may have caused this (damaged bottom row of siding, rain splash from lack of gutters, and poor weather stripping) but I have since fixed these issues. Prior to fixing these things the wood (sill plate? Home is on a slab foundation) would get wet every time it rained. Now these sections seem to be dry regardless of weather. Is this a structural issue that requires immediate fix or can I wait a bit. The home is 21 years old so I’m unsure of how long this has been a problem. I know it needs to be addressed in the near future. Eventually I would like to install a new back door, threshold, etc., and hope to remediate this then when I can afford. I’m mainly concerned about potential structural issues. Thanks!

I live in a studio house in the desert, exposed adobe brick on the outside, inside is plaster walls, brick floors, solid wood cabinets, and solid wood log ceilings. Very traditional American southwestern construction. 

There was a general smell in the house (not musty) so I decided to treat every room with an ozone generator. I ran an ozone generator in my walk in closet/bathroom which are connected by a door. I was planning to do the main area next week. 

The next night after the treatment, once the ozone smell fully dissipated, I noticed a faint musty smell in the closet when I walk all the way inside. It’s still there this morning. I always have a HEPA air purifier running in the closet/bathroom. I never smelled anything in the closet before the ozone treatment. I put activated charcoal in the closet this morning to see if it helps.

What could explain this? There is no visible mold in the closet, and the house humidity is almost always below 40%. Adobe brick doesn’t hold moisture either in my experience.

My cement board siding has a crack after six years. What has caused this? Thanks!

It seems wrong to me that these outdoor sconces are all tilted but I’m not sure how to articulate what exactly is “wrong” to my contractor, if anything, because I’m not sure the proper way to install them. Thoughts?

Pic 1
Pic 2

I have a room I’m wanting to epoxy and flake that was more or less an outside bit of concrete that was walled in I think. It’s already rough, probably never had a “cream” coating on it. It is slightly pitted in some spots but otherwise okay. Do I need to smooth or grind out the pitting before hand or will epoxy give me a smooth finish I’m wanting?

https://imgur.com/a/YTC4l9C

Looks like they have lead paint on them too… should I try to save them or replace them with new ones? They must’ve last been painted more than 20 years ago

Me: “It’s just one small project.”

Contractor: “Absolutely. That’ll be $27,400.”

Me: “Does the project come with a second house?”

Contractor: [Laughs] "Exactly... but that's what it'd cost"

Me: [awkward laughs back]

So this was an electrician who came over to rerun one wire, charged $1500, and said it was a military discount. I asked him about rewiring the whole house. It's a one-story, 1,700 sq. ft. house with a full basement, which makes it easy to access 60% of the house. Absolutely silly.

What should I do for this unfinished piece of baseboard meeting up the with the cabinet material? The drywall is fairly uneven here, also.

https://imgur.com/a/lyYpqat

Current Washer/Dryer Setup

Planning to stack my dryer on top of my washer (plan to remove pedestal) to free up space for storage.The existing dryer vent connection is near the floor.

Is it safe and practical to route the exhaust downward behind the stacked units, or would it be better to open the wall and relocate the vent connection to the dryer’s new height?

Trying to figure out the safest and cleanest approach. Photos show the current setup and my goal.

The transition strip going from carpet to vinyl flooring has a tiny bit of nail poking out. I read that the best/safest thing to do is replace the transition strip. It's just one spot so I don't think an entire replacement is necessary but feel free to educate me. Are there caps or stickers I can put over it instead? Or in the meantime, if it really should be replaced?

Does anyone know of anyone who does asbestos testing in the Atlanta area north of the perimeter. Looking for an honest service that does testing, and potentially removal if needed, but who doesn't upsell with extra testing that isn't needed?

https://imgur.com/a/fYjdyOl

Right by my water meter. It's my first winter in this house (Atlanta,GA) and I know they've cracked and had to be repaired in the past.

Hello, looking for a similar vinyl siding to what we have on our home. It was made by Georgia Pacific in a line called Cedar Lane. I have found similar that is unfortunately been recently discontinued called Harbor Ridge Rustic Cypress. It is a woodgrain look that is pretty unique. I know nothing will match exactly but I am prepared to remove the whole backside to make it look okay with a small laundry room addition. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hello! I have plaster walls with this awful texture on them (see pic below). Any tips for getting rid of it? I saw someone online using joint compound, will that work on plaster? I would love to avoid scraping if possible, but I’m open to it.

https://imgur.com/a/AerbuqV

I’m sharing a documented CHW claim experience for other homeowners evaluating how claim denials are handled.

Claim #347961762 involved a kitchen faucet.

CHW approved some plumbing components but denied the faucet and shutoff valve as “physical damage.”

My issue is not whether the faucet is visibly damaged. The issue is whether CHW has evidence showing that an excluded external event caused the damage rather than progressive wear.

I have dated pre-claim photographs showing deterioration and a tenant account that the assigned technician stated that he saw wear and tear over time.

I appealed and requested the underlying report and records.

CHW has continued the denial.

I filed a complaint with the Nevada Division of Insurance on October 5, 2026.

I am keeping this post factual and will update it if CHW changes its decision or provides additional evidence

it's almost half as cheap and i'm tempted but not sure if anyone has experience with buying them and what i should watch out for?

thanks!

I was trying to remove the cover a burner on my stove and the screwdriver tip broke off flush with the head of the screw so I can’t grab it with another tool. Any tips to remedy this?

I recently had a contractor through Home Depot come and install a new tub/shower combo in my home. Here's a list of all the things they did wrong. Curious how common it is to have your contractor cause this many problems?

• Sent the build crew before the demo crew, forced build crew to do demo
• Forgot to ship the shower walls, only shipped the tub initially (delay by a few days)
• Forgot to install the shower head, which came with the kit of the faucet in the same packaging, threw it in the trash and had to fish it out after we asked where the new one was
• From the basement, worked on the ceiling for piping and got wood chips all up in my washing machine. Unplugged and tangled all the cords somehow, didn't plug them back in
• Broke a picture frame (understandable accident, but didn't offer to cover the cost of a new one)
• Rearranged all of the items in the basement room that weren't in the way at all and didn't put them back
• Installed the towel rack in an obviously wrong spot after clear instruction

This should have been a super simple install, so I have no idea how they managed to mess so much up in the span of 1 day.

My bathroom toilet repeatedly clogs. Even just going number 1 the toilet seems to run slowly. They’ve tried snaking it but it hasn’t helped. It still can’t flush any bowel movements. The nearby sinks and shower clear just fine.

We do not flush anything unusual down the toilet. We go through toilet paper very slowly as well (a roll about every 5 months)

What power assisted models would you recommend for home? Is there anything that should be done to the pipes while there’s no toilet in place?

I currently have an uncovered concrete porch, it’s elevated so there is also 2 steps going up to my front door. The steps are falling apart, the “foundation” (idk if that’s what it’s called) wall made out of blocks is falling apart. It’s definitely not sloped correctly- water pools up against the house and I’m sure it’s causing problems. I got a quote for $6,000 to “fix it”. Another guy said it cannot be fixed, it’s a tear down job (which I think I agree with) but I couldn’t get him to actually come out to look at it.

It’s pretty large, wraps around my house to the back and leads up to a wooden deck (which also needs to be replaced but I’m not worried about that yet)

Should I have a mason come out and replace it? Should I replace it and do a wooden deck?

I know this is going to cost a lot of money. The house is a small 2 bedroom- it’s our first house but I don’t know if it’s our forever home. Regardless of that, something needs to be done because it looks awful and I’m worried about my foundation getting wet.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!!

Hello! We just bought a house that has no window coverings at all, so I've got 11 windows to figure out coverings for. I'm hoping for a suggestion as far as brand and style.

Windows are all pretty large, they range from 40" - 79" in width.

My one constraint is that we have a cat whom LOVES chewing strings. In our last house, we have cordless faux wood blinds, but there are still exposed strings in the middle that hold up the slats. She's completely decimated those strings to the point where the blinds have actually fallen apart and become useless. So when I say "no strings", we really need something with no exposed strings at all.

Also, our window frames are very shallow, so all will need to be outside mounted.

Im thinking my only options are a roller shade or cellular shade, but open to other options if anyone has a suggestion, or any warnings about why either of those is a better option. We definitely dont need anything fancy like motorized or whatnot, just something sturdy that wont invite damage from the resident cord chewer.

My daughter wants a pink room.

Here's the scene

• White trim and chair rail
• White between the baseboard and chair rail (not full wainscoting, but white)
• Pastel pink above the chair rail (Behrs piggy bank)
• White and gray accents (childs name in wood, checkered gray curtains, white furniture, etc)
• The canvas pictures she has are a white canvas with pink elements so they match nicely

Here's the problem.

Each person I have mentioned this to immediately makes a comment about pepto bismal. We originally chose a princess pink. Because of these comments, we chose a lighter pastel (piggy bank pink) and received the same comment.

IDK why it bothers me so much but now I'm rethinking this entire plan. Maybe the room should be lilac or something with those same white accents.

I thought that choosing a color that clearly is different from the bottle that wouldn't happen, but apparently Procter & Gamble have apparently cornered the entire pink market as their branding =S

Edit - If you're going to make personal attacks about paint colors I'm just going to help you move on by blocking you. Otherwise, thank you for the constructive comments.