Our house is on a ridge in a forest, so the 'backyard' is basically a rocky hill. There's a deck out there where we noticed (prior to moving in) that one of the pillars had to be replaced because the concrete block was at the bottom of the hill. Now, we noticed the deck needs to be replaced (rotting wood).

Before tearing down and rebuilding, we're thinking a retaining wall is needed. What are the steps needed to make sure we're spending wisely and not getting something that's not necessary? Landscape architect? Contractor?

Looks awful! Parts are painted, there are a few cracks and repairs. This is a prefab on piers, so there is movement when we have a good wind. I'm 65, yet pretty capable (thanks Dad).

When is it advisable to put your newly bought house up for sell? (FL)

This new house in the country was supposed to be a safe place from the noisy city but my neighbors are awful, so I already want to sell. This noise problem has gotten out of control 🔊 I love the house and property but the consent loud music and low frequencies are the worst, I can feel it in the floor and my head is pounding everyday now. I can even hear their loud music over my shows and music! It's unbearable as I'm trying to heal from multiple health conditions and have noise sensitivities already.

Also local law enforcement doesn't care about the noise complaints from multiple people 😔 And their not the kind of neighbors you would want to approach about a noise complaint.

I'm just so tired and need some peace & quiet.

my current water heater is working fine, but my plumber noticed some rusting around the pipes and told me i can get it replaced for free under warranty (which expires next year), all I would have to pay for is labor. I was originally thinking when the tank goes out, replace it with a tankless system.

Are the tankless systems any better? anyone with good experiences?

In various areas around my house, there is cracking along door frames/ceilings or where the baseboard meets the wall on top.

How do I go about fixing it? Is it just old caulking that has gone bad/can I apply new caulk to fix?

Thanks in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/SV5Fn5s

Here in Ohio we have the apples to apples website that allows us to pick our supplier for gas and electric. This is my first time doing it.

Do I just look to make sure it’s fixed rate, no intro price, no renew content, no early termination fee and no monthly fee? Do term lengths matter? They’re all 4-6 months right now. Thanks!

hi! im looking for the best ways to keep roaches away. i’m living with my parents currently & they have them (not as bad as they used to but still.) we have dogs & cats so im trying to find the best way to keep them away while we’re saving up to hire an exterminator (it’s super expensive because they’re all over the 4 bedroom house.) i’m using sticky traps and lavender oil currently, which is helping some but not super great. any advice would be greatly appreciated!

This August, we closed on a house built in 1995. The previous owners had the house for 20 years and, as we've learned in the last 5 months, did nothing to maintain the house.

As the temperatures dropped, we noticed our heat wasn't working. It needs to be at 70 for hours for it to get t0 65. We did have our funance maintained and that needs to be replaced ASAP.

We also just realized that the first floor fireplace, in which there is a broken electric insert, is pumping cold air straight into the house. i pulled out the insert and found an extremely cold draft coming in.

That's all the information I have regarding this fireplace, chimney, insert, etc.

Given the need to replace the furnace, we're extremely short on cash. What would be the best, most cost effective, and most heat-effective solution here?

Thanks in advance

Live in Ottawa in an 1984 built house. We are going through a cold snap of -30c weather and noticed a dripping noise from the roof, opened the attic to find frost all over the roof of the attic. Will post pictures in comments don't really know what to do but worried when the water melts there will be a risk of mold.

What should I know? I’m closing mid January. Massachusetts resident if that matters.

Is there a reddit community that can help with questions about wells? Searching did not come up with results I could find.

My wife and I came home from Europe. Two Flickers [giant woodpeckers] came down the chimney while we were gone. Apparently, they freaked at their dire predicament, and shat, pecked, and destroyed any they could, in order to extricate themselves. They then had the courtesy to die, hidden in some remote alcove, until the smell revealed their location. Lesson: if you have a large woodburning fireplace, close the flue and secure metal wire the top of the chimney. I have have lived in this house for 20 years and it never occurred to me to do this.

How are the Next-Gen Nuvella performance fabrics holding up? Do they wash really well without damaging them overtime? How is the performance of the fabric? I know it’s a new type of fabric they offer that is all Polyester. Looking to buy a new sectional from Ashley with their Next-Gen Nuvella. I have one small dog. I like to know about your experiences with this fabric.

So my wife and I closed on our house a few weeks ago. We are there working on it most days and are moving in a few weeks from now. We are leaving town for 8 days after Christmas and I want to prep the house for us not being there (we have friends and family volunteering to stop by every few days).

I know that turning the main water off is prudent to prevent against catastrophic flooding if something happens while we are away. I have two questions though:

1. We have a hydronic heating system with radiators and circulating hot water. Am I right that turning off the water won’t affect this system? As in, the house will still be heated while we are gone?

2. The house came with a Navien combi boiler, model NCB-H. It is tankless. Do I need to do anything to the machine after turning the water off?

Thanks

First time homebuyer here. Bought a condo and it's first floor. Below my floor is garage which is heated. It's a 8 unit condo so not a big building.

This is my first winter. My experience so far as been brutal. I have double pane windows, foam based insulation yet my walls, windows and floor ( 2 feet from wall) is extremely cold.

I wear socks to walk around. It's tall ceiling condo so sitting on bed is comfortable but walking or by the window/wall is cold.

What's going on and what I can do?

Hi, I'm looking to replace a 20-year old single-stage Lennox Aire-Flo gas furnace (AF90MPE100U4B) that just stopped working in Toronto. I'm considering the Lennox EL297V Elite series two-stage furnace (97% efficiency) but I'm a bit confused on the sizing in terms of BTU and blower tons. My existing furnace is 100,000 BTU with 92.1% efficiency but I've learned that the new Lennox furnaces only come in 88,000 BTU or 110,000 BTU. I live in a 2-storey detached house in Toronto (3-storey if you include finished basement) which is 3,276 sq ft (+ 1,398 sq ft if I include the basement). Is 88,000 BTU sufficient given the new furnace is two-stage and more efficient (97%)?

Also for blower tons, should I go with 3 ton or 4 ton? I called Lennox customer service and they think my existing furnace blower is 4 ton based on the "4" in the model number. I've had one HVAC company (let's call them Company A) insist that 3 ton is the right size but another one (Company B) says I should get 4 ton so I'm not sure. I read online that 3 tons is good for houses up to 3,000 sq ft (I assume excluding the basement) so don't know if I should go with 4 ton. Also, when I replaced my Lennox AC 5 years ago with Company A, they put in a 3 ton Lennox AC (EL16XC1S036-230) but now I'm not sure if they sized it correctly based on what I read online and my sq footage and I don't know what the tonnage/specs were for the original AC they replaced. I also don't know if I need to match the furnace blower tons with the AC tons.

There is usually a 2-3 degrees Celsius temperature difference between the main floor and the upper floor (per my Ecobee) so not sure if choosing a higher BTU or ton furnace would close the gap. I do have a Juliet balcony on the upper flow and feel it's door sealing is not that great so that may be one of the reasons.

I need to make a decision today given how cold it is and the upcoming holidays so would appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

We recently purchased a house which has a Culligan reverse osmosis drinking water system that the old owners installed.

Should we keep it?

I like the idea of a system that filters out bad stuff from the water but also wonder if it's also filtering out fluoride which is a good thing to have right? Didn't the inclusion of fluoride in drinking water help drastically lower the rate of cavities in people?

The neighbors at the back of my property have 5 dogs. They all are outside dogs. Constant. And I mean absolutely constant barking every hour of the day. And it's not just barking, 2 of them are husky mix shepards that scream.

The master bedroom is at the back side of the house and the fence is probably 40 feet away from my bedroom window.

I have a box fan and a window unit at an attempt to block out the noise, but it rarely covers it all.

I have called the police at every single hour of the night multiple times, which they have never shown up, Attempted to talk to the neighbors, but they never answer the door.

I've dealt with this for nearly 5 years now and sat through 4 shoulder surgery recoveries losing my sanity constantly listening to this. I can't take it anymore and I'm at a loss of what to do legally and ethically.

What options do I have here? Thanks for reading

What is the point of investing in security system.

I mean now you can let the criminals you are home that will possible scare them away.

Criminals are not concern if they are caught on camera. I am talking about porch pirates and that people can easily hide their identity.

I guess I'm say using camera as a way to protect your home while you are away from your house seem useless.

I’m a condo owner thinking of upgrading to a SFH someday, and this is something I’ve been wondering about. It seems like the answer would be straightforward, but since I’ve only ever owned this condo, you don’t know what you don’t know, you know? Houses costs seem a lot more variable to me.

It’s hard to phrase this question to fit a short headline, what I mean is:

Say that there are two houses available. They’re about the same in terms of square footage/features/quality, but one is in the most desirable neighborhood in town, so it costs almost twice as much as the other, which is in an average area.

My question is, if you put more down on the more expensive house so that the mortgages were the same, other than property taxes, which would be higher due to higher property value, does the nicer home “cost” more or less the same to live in and maintain than the other home every month? Or does it “cost” much more?

I just closed on my house a few days ago. It’s getting quite cold right now and not sure what percussions I should take to avoid damage like frozen pipes. It’s an old house and with the timing of the purchase I won’t be there much until after the holidays. I have my apartment until mid January and am planning on gradually moving over as paint and make small repairs.

My heat pump stopped working overnight and is showing F5 on the display. I have reset the breaker, cleaned the screens, tested the indoor and outdoor fans for movement/freezing, and everything is fine. It is -17C (1.5F) outside, but I haven't read anywhere that this could be caused my cold temperatures. Does anyone know how to fix this without having to call someone???? It is a Carrier brand heat pump

How long would it take? I will take into account where I live, and rates generally, but I want to get a sense of if I'm being charged too much. Here's the part going onto the hot water heater: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295294873471

Remove if not allowed

Hey All, About three years ago my girlfriend renovated her kitchen and kept the old cabinets. She put the old cabinets in the garage and that’s where they have sat. The older cabinets are your typical oak cabinets that you found in the 90’s early 2000’s homes. While sitting in the garage, the mice and mold have got to them. Also, some of them got beat up when removing them. She says she wants to sell them, but I think it will be more of a hassle than it’s worth.

What have people found for a resale value on old cabinets? Is it worth the effort to try and clean them up and sell them? Or should we just get rid of them?

Thanks!

Too much to put into the title so I'll put it here: if you have someone staying at or working in your house while you're not there and they ask if anyone will be coming by...do you disclose if other people have spare keys? Or do you just tell them if anyone is coming to visit the house?

Edit: Thanks for all the answers. It helped prove a point. This question can definitely be taken different ways without follow up questions and clarifying details. My stance: asking who will be coming into your home and who has access to my home are 2 different questions. I wouldn't think to list who has spares, nor do I think it's necessary.

Closing next week, all I have currently is some photos of the make/model of the furnace and vent, it looks like it is a 16x25x4 but does anyone know how else I can check with these pictures so I can order some in advance? It is dark grey/filthy and I want to replace it after closing but was unable to take measurements at inspection.

Make/Model: Amana (Goodman): AMH81005CNBB

Input: 100,000 btu/hr

Output: 80,00 btu/hr

Photos (not good quality, taken with GoPro)

https://imgur.com/a/mP0NIA7

Hey our home in SC was hit by a tree and wind Sep 27 and incurred multiple issues of damage. I was told by freedom mortgages loss draft department to overnight the check and send an overnight prepaid envelope and they would sign check and send check back , they deposited it October 29. I have uploaded every document needed and had someone inspect what I have fixed. I still have no money from my insurance and it is December 22. Every step of their process is 7-10 business days and no one knows anything. I have asked to speak to a manager 4 times and they are always busy and never call me back. I feel like we are being punished because we filed a ch. 13 2 years ago but we are current with all our payments. This has been a nightmare since I can not fix anything without money.

I have been hearing this noise in the wall that my bed is up against. It’s the wall connecting me and my roommates room, sounds like it’s coming from lower part of the wall. It freaks me out and also just is insanely maddening I am very sensitive to noise and it’s getting to a point I cannot take it. I am terrified it’s pests but I just can’t pin point the type of noise it is i don’t have any droppings anywhere but I don’t know I’m just having an awful time and losing sleep. What should I do please.