Caulk seems difficult due to the width of gap. I've thought about painter's putty, but from what I gather, it's not actually waterproof. Thank you for your advice.

Hi there,

I am trying to remove the basement windows to clean them.

I cannot seem to be able to pull them up or down. When looking closely at the window and track, I see that the window comes almost in contact with the track, at the top and bottom, and the front and back. Do I need to remove the screws and dissasemble the window panels? I am at a loss here.

Here are some pictures of the windows. https://imgur.com/a/SnHwyvt

Hello,

My brother measured the bathroom and says this is the shower door size we need but everything I see seems to go to a max width of 37.5 or a minimum of 38inches and we can’t afford to go the custom route. Does anyone have any recommendations or could my brother be wrong about what we need? Thank u so much in advance

My husband and I bought our first home about 10 months ago. It was originally built in the 70s, but underwent a massive renovation (talking from the roof to the crawlspace to the hvac, the works). We love our home but we have one problem that is just driving us crazy: the studs are abnormally placed/spaced. People have said it may be because it’s an older house. The problem with this is that our studs are almost impossible to find and they are never where we need them, and recently anything that we put into the drywall eventually comes out and it can’t really hold any real weight. (Even our toilet paper holder won’t stay in the wall). We use drywall anchors but they don’t seem to be working too well. I really want to be able to install shelves to hold pictures, mirrors, frames, etc on the walls. Does anyone have any advice?

I'm wondering what the recommended approach might be to handling the garage door opener motor and door rails in my garage when I drywall the ceiling. Should they be unbolted from the beams and then somehow reinstalled after the drywall has been put in place or could I just try to drywall around the already-installed mounting points? Thanks for any tips!

Images here

The main underground water supply line for my house comes into my crawlspace along the concrete floor before it hits my meter and a shut off valve I can control. The floor is ~ 5 feet below grade and the frost line in my area is 42-48".

If the heat goes out for a long enough time because of a power outage, is that pipe in danger of freezing?

5' would be below the frost line, but not sure if that holds true if it's running in a crawlspace, where the crawlspace is 5' below grade?

I replaced an basic baseboard heater last year and updated the thermostat to a digital version.

It functioned perfectly with the new thermostat.

This year, the element simply is not heating up.

The temperature on the thermostat is accurate. The thermostat is accurately turned up beyond the temperature of the room by 10 degrees. The thermostat appropriatly displays the indicator symbol that shows it is activating the heater. There is nothing obstructing the heater or the thermostat.

There have been no alterations or work done to any circuits.

I can hear the usual hum of electricity when the heater is activated, but it emits no heat, even after leaving it for 20 minutes with the room's door closed. When I reduce the thermostat setting to below the temp of the room, the sound from the heater stops.

I checked connections and they are still secure.

Any ideas? I have a multimeter but I don't know if it's useful for troubleshooting this or even how to use it

I just moved into this house and am replacing the light fixture that was in the house upon moving in. Upon taking off the old fixture, I found that there is no junction box housing the wiring. It seems that a small hole was carved into the drywall, and the wires were fished through that. There’s an open space where the wires are, but the center/where I want to mount the light is in front of a stud. Any recommendations on what kind of box I should use to fix this before installing the new fixture? Also, any recommendations on how to cut drywall to accommodate box while keeping fixture centered? Thanks!!!!

Picture here https://imgur.com/gallery/i4S8fez and https://imgur.com/gallery/Pd7L3To

Hey Reddit!

I wanted to share something that’s been a game-changer for me and might help some of you too. A while ago, I took on a big renovation project and decided to skip hiring a general contractor (GC). Instead, I acted as my own GC. I do this full time at work in the commercial sector, but do not have my own company, and I don't work in residential, so this undertaking was not overly easy. I handled the scheduling, subcontractor hiring, and decision-making myself, and I did none of the labor myself, it was all teams that I hired. Though the processes were similar to what I do in my full time job, it was still a steep learning curve, but I saved thousands of dollars—and I learned so much in the process.

This experience inspired me to create a platform called Award, where I share tips, tools, and guides to help others do the same. The idea is that anyone can manage their own renovation or construction project, even with no prior experience, as long as they’re willing to organize, communicate, and make decisions. I want to make the knowledge of the traditional General Contractor accessible to everyone because its honestly not that complicated as long as you understand the basic processes and steps that they use, and it can save you so much money on a renovation/remodel.

Right now, I’m in the early stages and would love to hear from anyone interested in DIY construction or managing their own projects. Whether you're a complete beginner or just looking to save on costs, my goal is to make it easier for you to navigate the process and feel confident about taking control.

If you’ve ever thought about self-GC’ing or have questions about how it works, feel free to ask! Also, I’d love any feedback or suggestions on what kind of resources would be most helpful to you.

P.S. I’ve put together a free guide on the steps to self-GC'ing your own project. If you’re interested, let me know, and I can share it here!

Looking forward to chatting with you all and learning from your experiences too!

I moved into a new apartment. They previously put in laminate flooring about two weeks ago. When moving in I noticed the glue was spewing out of the seams. Will this dry overtime? Just wondering what I have to look forward to when Maintenance arrives.

https://imgur.com/a/J5glYIh

I bought my first house this summer and love it so so so much but I really don’t love that someone painted over the wood paneling in the master bedroom/attic space. what’s the best method to remove the paint? I really don’t like the look of the paint and want the warmth from the wood to make my bedroom cozy.

We recently added a basement door and upon connecting it to the drain tile to drain I saw the inside of the drain tile. Ours is 4inch PVC with holes in it and we live up in Vancouver, Canada. One of the previous owners did it so maybe like 10-20 yrs ago. The gutters are already attached to it and so far it drains and no issues with it but upon seeing the inside half filled with mud or silt, I was wondering is it normal to be like this ?.

Do i need to hire someone to flush it out and how often it needs to be done as i heard it can cost like 1-2k.

Attaching the image here

https://imgur.com/5sF7gjp

My main concern is will it block my basement door drain sooner or maybe I add cover so not much water enters the area.

I’m trying to fix up my living room, but the sofa I have right now is way too big and heavy. Every time I move it, it scratches the floor, and it’s just a pain to deal with. Someone suggested I try modular sofas that come in smaller pieces, which makes sense because they seem easier to move. I found this one from RoveLab that looks really simple and clean. Plus, it seems easy to move around and won’t destroy the floors. Has anyone used something like this before? Is it actually better than a normal sofa? Also, I want something that fits a modern style but is still comfy. Sharing a pic of the kind of sofa I’m thinking about. What do you guys think? Any tips would help. Thanks!

So we just got new carpet put in the entire house, and it's great! We love the color, the style (the new carpet smell!), and the company that did it did a great job. However, we are a bit disappointed in the firmness of it. We got Comforting l nylon fiber carpet with 1/2" 8lb spillguard pad, but it doesn't feel that much softer than our old carpet (baseline polyester) and padding (not sure the sizing) that was easily over 20 years old.

Were our expectations too high? Does new carpet take time to "soften up"? We don't have buyer's remorse, but I'm just curious if anyone has had a similar experience.

Have a small leak in my bathroom. Directly above this room on the roof are solar panels. Insurance said I can DIY it and caulk one particular upspout. Did that with Henry’s roof patch. Finally to the question: Can I buy of bucket of Henry’s and apply it with a mop(because my arms aren’t 6 ft long)to all the solar panel columns?

https://imgur.com/a/KDa7chB

It leads to the air gap, then back down in the black tube. Currently have a clog, but I think there's something wrong with the water pump since the filter in the dishwasher is clear, and the air gap is not spewing out water. There's also a sound I'm expecting, but don't hear it.

Would like to repaint an oval shaped ceiling crown molding above my dining space. Estimated dimensions ~8ft long by 6 ft wide = 28 ft of crown molding. It is currently silver so would likely need a few coats of paint to make it white

Would love to hear quotes from any painters/contractors to get a gauge

I am waiting to hear back from painters I’ve reached out to

Has anyone used vertical drains for a temporary drainage fix?

The ultimate goal is to get dirt to fill in the low spot and a french drain, but we had to get a new deck over the summer and a new AC. It seems like a few vertical drains might help a little and buying some gravel would be pretty cheap.

The space doesn't backup every time it rains, but sometimes, it just needs a little help to get into the soil faster. I thought putting a couple of vertical drains in the worst problem spots might be an easy/cheap way to help that along until we can get some more $ together for a permanent solution.

It only gets REALLY bad when a giant deluge, such as when Hurricane Helene skirted Atlanta and dropped a foot of rain on us in a day.

Is it possible to restore the shine and regrout these tiles in my kitchen? I think they are terracotta.

https://imgur.com/gallery/fb7iVCY

Hi all,

I have replaced a few vanities, but I haven't done a kitchen sink yet. My house currently has a double basin sink with a garbage disposal on one side. It seems pretty straight forward / what I would expect with the little I know about plumbing.

My plan is to cut the schedule 40 PVC DWV just below the 90 and essentially replace it with the same thing (including the horizontal piece), just angled towards the garbage disposal side. The new single basin sink has a right-side drain. Then have the disposal go straight down to a p-trap and into the drain line.

Will this work? Is there anything I am missing?

From what I have found online, it seems like some folks might suggest (or say there should be) an AAV in this run. The existing plumbing is how it was when I moved in and I assume its original (90s build in Michigan). My neighbors have confirmed their kitchen sink drain lines are similar, so I'm not sure that piece is necessary.

Looking for feedback on basement conditions after installing a Humidex in a partially finished basement.

Did they improve smell and air quality as advertised?

https://humidex.com/en/products/item/Digital-ventilation-system-dvs-bs

Thanks!

I just had new interior doors installed with poplar wood trim and doorstops. There's some wood "fuzz" (mostly on the sides and in between gaps I guess from the cuts, but also a bit rough on the surface). They will be painted. Here are some pictures (hard to capture but if you zoom in hopefully you can see it):

https://i.imgur.com/ZfzsaRM.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/qxJAUrm.jpeg

What grit sandpaper should I use to smooth it out? And sanding sponge or actual sandpaper?

Been a long time since I've lived anywhere with a screened in back porch. Coming out to quote me soon. What should I know about the modern installations? Everything pretty much the same as 20 years ago as far as processes and materials? I'm looking for tips to get it right. I know to ask for a sizable door, I can't stand the 2.5' ones. Thanks.

We inherited this poorly framed door leading into our garage from the outside in the house we bought 1 year ago. I noticed that water has been coming in through both sides.

The previous home owner seemed to attempt to use bondo to address the rotting wood at the bottom between the sill plate and the ground. Was hoping to tackle it this winter if I get a dry weekend. To paint a larger picture, the door has a soffit over it, seems flush with the outside asphalt walkway, the door is a metal exterior door, and the siding is vinyl siding.

Given what you see. What would you do to repair this and prevent future issues? I can't see the outside at the moment but I imagine that this is likely an issue with flashing but don't know what products I would use to address this.

Thanks in advance for any help !

Have an option between the brown exhaust fan 110 CFM with light or this one. Does anyone have experience with either?

Hello!

I need a new front door and my homes opening is a very odd size. It’s 34” by 78” I’ve gotten some quotes for custom doors and was wondering if it’s possible to trim down an existing slab door. Would it be possible to trim an inch off each size of a door like these without the door falling apart?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-32-in-x-80-in-Wood-Universal-Reversible-Unfinished-Slab/5001948825

https://www.homedepot.com/p/JELD-WEN-36-in-x-80-in-6-Lite-Unfinished-Wood-Front-Door-Slab-36FIR6LTSLB/203694989?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US

Thanks!

It had to happen. The dogs were peeing. The particle board underneath is solid. I’m looking for ideas. Realistic and funny/creative ideas are welcome. 😊

What moulding would you pick for a heavy use guest bathroom?

I recently did a remodel and just did MSF for the whole house so it matched but wow I had no idea how much water would be splashed around in our guest bathroom.

PVC, wood, or something else?

I backed out of doing tile at the last minute during the remodel.

Hello all! Looking for recommendations on what kind of extender to use to rectify this issue with my light switch. Previous owner had drywall put up and now the light switch doesn’t sit flush and is sunken so a cover won’t install over it.

Secondly, there was a new shower head install but the tile around was poorly cut. Any suggestions on a quick fix to help with this issue also?

Appreciate any advice or help!

https://imgur.com/a/gFJMHip

I just got a bunch of external work done on my house. Second floor windows, cladding, a bit of siding and a section of eaves replaced. The company that I dealt with was great. They were friendly, professional - and overall I was really happy with the work they did. They are a well known company in my area. A little more expensive, but I decided to go this route, as I have been burned in the past by smaller, not so well established companies.

To access the area, they quoted a basket initially ($1600), but I thought that was a bit overkill. They suggested scaffolding instead, which would be $400, as they would have to rent it from a equipment rental company in town. I said ok - let's go ahead and do that.

But when they did the job, the fellas did the whole thing via ladders. I sensed they did not want to bother putting the scaffolding together, as it was a relatively small job, done over a couple of days.

But, I was still charged for the scaffolding on the final invoice. I get that they were likely charged for it by the rental company, but it was clearly not needed.

Am I being unreasonable thinking that I shouldn't be charged? I haven't really pushed back, as I would rather keep things on good form, but I just have to check in, as I am on my own... and like I said I have been burned before. Also seems odd that a company of this size does not own their own scaffolding, given all they do is external work on homes.