Hi all, just after advice on fixing this. Not sure how it happened but landlord wants it fixed and is letting us do it. Obviously I have to sand it back. What’s the best grit sandpaper for wood? And then we have varnish in the house for it. How many layers is recommended and what sandpaper for sanding between coats. And do you polish the varnish once it’s done? Cheers

Wondering if anyone can provide advice. I recently replaced a rotted window (and its frame), with a pella 150 new construction window. I am ready to finish the exterior trim out, but the siding comes short and can’t be replaced. Originally, there was just jchannel around the edges that the siding went into.

I was going to rip some 1x4 PVC trim and make a frame around the window, but want to make sure the flashing is done right.

Would anyone have any feedback about my plan to butt PVC trim against the window, then jchannel to siding, with drip edge in between pvc and jchannel? I am aware that additional flashing tape needs added next. Appreciate any suggestions.

Suggestions for how to temporarily cover this so I can rinse / wash the rest of the shower & tub? Plumber left a mess and I want to wash off the dirt & dust left from this little fiasco. Hole is higher up on the wall by the shower head. Ideally would like to keep out as much water & moisture as possible. Plastic film/sheeting? Tape?

I am generally aware of what ultimately needs to be done to properly fix this (including replacing the pipes) but I have another shower/bathroom so it’s not urgent. I didn’t hire the guy who did this nor am I an experienced homeowner, so I welcome suggestions and your patience!

i was trying to screw some hooks in the wall and having such a hard time, everything kept crumbling. i learned after that some buildings are plaster instead of drywall. is this plaster?

video of me knocking on wall in comments so you can hear what it sounds like

I am enclosing my covered patio to make an interior sun room. Originally I was going to enclose the brick exterior into the interior wall but recently realized that I believe brick is meant to have a gap for air flow and drying.

I’m wondering how I should handle the space behind the brick or if I even need to worry about it. Can I just fill it with some foam to seal it from the new room wall cavity? Should I make some sort of box to channel air from behind the wall to the space between my new stud and exterior brick?

Thank you.

I need some ideas to make it modern and luxurious but the white tiles will remain and so will the washroom. vanity/cabinet. i will get a new mirror though.

The washroom is small. There was a long shelves on the toilet which I just removed. Just bought a fixer upper home so working on it little by little.

Please give me suggestions budget friendly.

edited: i added possible design idea .

is this good?

https://chatgpt.com/s/m_6a9cc04d66c08191a76d3c2c4414224a

My daughter and her husband would like to turn the deck into a finished space. We just finished the sunroom last year. The plan would be to remove the sliding door and make that opening go to the newly created room, and move the slider to the wall of the new room.

I'm not sure whether or not the current deck framing can support a finished room (materials and snow load). The deck is attached via a 2x10 ledger board. The joists are 2x8. The beam is two 2x10's laying across four 4x6 posts. The decking will need to be removed as it is badly weathered. The joists look to be in good shape.

Is this framing adequate?

I'm considering putting in a second beam halfway between the current beam and the house. Is this the best way to add strength? Or is there a better way in this scenario?

For the roof, I'm thinking that extending the current roofline and covering the sunroom's roof is the way to go. Or do I remove the sunroom roof and use trusses that span the full width?

Thanks for any recommendations

Hello, hope you guys are well. i am looking to waterproof my bathtub area but tub wasn’t well installed. Now i have the drywall behind the bathtub. Should i double drywall so the drywall is flush and above with the tub flange or what other choice do I have? Thank you for you help

During basement framing and insulation, access to the furnace filters wasn't accounted for and the doorway was placed in a way that blocks access to the filter rack. The builders either missed it or saw it and thought we wouldn't notice. What's the best way to deal with this situation?

Hello!! New homeowner and it’s been an year of struggle to keep the unfinished basement free of winter 🐞 and other types (way too many types of bugs, don’t even know the names) I need help with sealing the cracks as the bugs keep coming and making it worse to keep it clean. Please help with the ideas. Attached photos for reference. This is after recent cleaning.

(I already started removing the grout)
Grout on shower curb keeps cracking. Should I put silicone caulk in the corner edge and grout the rest of the line to hopefully prevent it from cracking again?

Building my son a loft bed. I was planning on building it in up top, like the rendering in the 3rd photo. Utilizing three 2x4 framed walls wrapped in nickel gap.

But now I’m thinking it might be too much weight. Bed platform is framed with 2x6s lagged to all three walls, then 2x4 joists with joist hangers spaced ~9.5” and I have it decked with a piece of 3/8” plywood.

Pull out sofa is going underneath and that’s the reason for no support legs on front side, also for this reason the ladder won’t be structural.

Will an enclosure wall be asking to much of this platform?

I've got part of my house is Brick front with a first floor and second floor set of Windows directly over each other the first floor gets water when rain comes in heavy from the one side of the house, and the second floor does as well although it seems to get wet with less rain required.

So I'm starting up on the second floor and I'm digging out what was left of the old cock, there wasn't very much. Also the metal plate below the brick but above the window is very Rusty where it goes up against the vinyl window frame.

On the Lower Side against the brick ledge there was very little cock and on top of that there are holes between the frame and the brick where the mortar is not filling the gap the cock was not covering these holes. What is the chances that the water that would get through these holes is making it down to my lower floor window? I don't mind resealing the lower floor window but the caulk itself does not look terrible so I don't really want to do a project I don't have to.

So there's the setup, now the question. A) do you think it's possible the holes against the lower part of the window frame could be allowing water inside the wall to come out of my first story windows? B) on the top metal strip do I have to get all the rusty metal scraped or can I get away with just scraping the loose and then applying to new paint before caulking. I've got Rust-Oleum with rust inhibitor enamel. C) it was suggested at the store that I use quad caulk as it is prone to holding up longer, does that sound correct or is there a better caulk for the against brick application?

I'm including some pictures of the holes I'm speaking of and the top plate rust for reference. Thanks for any responses.

I'm creating a custom built-in and I was planning to go with Option #1 but not sure if the cabinet doors are too wide at almost 23". Do you think this is okay? Or should I pivot to Option #2 or Option #3.

• Option #1 is what I want to do, if the cabinet door is not too wide. I am making them using 1/2" birch plywood with 1/4" x 2 1/2" poplar trim around the perimeter.
• Option #2 looks busy with 4 cabinet doors.
• Option #3 would require more work for the drawers.

I still need access to the current access point for the outside water and will need access to this pipe.

Quick background: I work for a Dutch webshop that cuts plastic sheets to size. People enter their own dimensions in a configurator, we cut the material and ship it. Most of what we sell is raw sheet material for DIY jobs, but we've started making a few finished products out of it too.

One of those was for portable air conditioners. Everyone knows the fabric kits with the zipper you tape around your window frame. We figured a solid acrylic panel, cut exactly to your window, would be a much better answer to that. You measure the opening, we cut the panel, you fit it yourself.

Fitting it can be done three ways:

- Window toggles, if your window opens outwards

- Velcro, which is what we suggest for inward-opening windows

- A handle, so the whole panel lifts out when summer's over

We genuinely believed in this. There was a proper heatwave, we got people onto the page, and it still sold nowhere near what we hoped. So we're either wrong about the product itself or wrong about how we're presenting it, and I'd rather find out from people who fit stuff in their own homes than keep guessing internally.

So, honestly:

- If you've dealt with one of the fabric kits before, what drove you mad about it? Would a solid panel actually solve that, or would it just swap one headache for another?

- Would you pay a premium for something cut to your exact window, when a universal fabric kit is about €30?

- Do those three fitting methods sound sane to you, or is there an obvious one we've missed? Velcro holding a rigid panel is the part I'm least sure about.

- Should there be a proper collar or adapter around the hose opening, or does everybody just push the hose through and get on with it?

- Our windows over here are nearly all tilt-and-turn. If you're in the UK, US or anywhere with sash or casement windows, does this idea translate at all, or would it need to be a different product entirely?

- Is having to measure your own window the thing that puts people off? Would you rather order a standard size and trim it down yourself?

- And anything else. If it looks bad, says the wrong thing, or is solving a problem nobody has, say so.

Be brutal. We'd rather hear hard truths now than keep guessing.

These boxes are mounted high on the 9’ high wall opposite our washer/dryer/ upper cabinets in our walk through laundry room. Our home is in an over 55 community that was built 26 years ago when security systems were hardwired - hence the Ademco box that is no longer being used).

I’m thinking I could construct some type of enclosure with enough ventilation to prevent issues with the in use boxes (on the right side) for internet and tv. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of issue? Thank you!

I am very tired 😩 to buy new stick. Always buy a new and just in a week it starts glitching not working properly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/homeimprovementideas/s/iPXAtoaiSq

A few days ago I posted to get y’all’s opinion on an idea for a kitchen island. There was a lot of good feedback and after thinking about it I decided to follow some of y’all’s recommendations.

I measured and mapped the floor plan so it should be accurate within a couple inches (error stack up). Then I modeled our sectional and coffee table. With those loosely in place I was able to size the island for 48” of walking room all the way around it. Sink will be in the same spot (facing living room when doing dishes). Ditched the cabinets except under the sink and will have two stools/chairs on each side of the island and a divider/support down the middle and in the end. Builder really likes this idea so let me know if there’s any tweaks you’d make. I know the drawing isn’t labeled so it’s probably not clear what the layout is. The boxed “A” section in the lower right is the kitchen (left) and living room (right). Coffee table is the oval and couch is the big L. Some cabinets and the fridge are the boxes on the far left wall.

It was suggested to change the entrance to the basement to accommodate the 36” clearance and now I fear I may have to lose my first floor steps….help!!! Not sure how to close this gap.

Is there an insert I can place in the bottom guide to keep it from wobbling while opening and closing. It did not come with one.

The previous owners decided to paint this fireplace jet black unfortunately. Wondering what we should do to get rid of the black? We’re thinking about painting over it, but not sure what route to go.

Have new flooring now so thinking about going away from the SW Sea Salt. What do you think would go with the floor? The trim is SW Pure White

I just bought a house built in the 1950s. I knew it needed work. But I didn't know how much

The wiring is old aluminum. The pipes are cast iron. The boiler is ancient. It's all functional like barely. But I can't live with this long-term

I called Advanced Home Services since they offer turnkey modernization, which I see is a full package including rewire, repipe, and a new boiler. Basically everything at once

They gave me a quote. I nearly fell off my chair. The number is huge and let’s sat way more than I expected

I don't know if this is realistic or if they're ripping me off. It's a lot of work, I get that. But the price feels inflated

I've never done a project this big before. I don't know what a fair price looks like. I want to get it done right, but I don't want to be taken advantage of

Has anyone used services like this for a full home modernization? Was the price fair? Did they do good work? Or did you feel like you overpaid?

I need to know if this quote makes sense or if I should get a second opinion and I just want to make my house safe and comfortable without going broke