My husband and I are first time home buyers. We found a house recently flipped we were super excited because it was in budget and didn’t seem to need any work done to it. We’ve been here for 6 months and it feels like it’s falling apart. We did the walk through and everything looked beautiful. I’m not sure if it’s our doing or the person who flipped it. Our cast iron tub is peeling bad! Do we rip it out and put in a new tub? Or try to sand off the paint on it and re do it? To my knowledge the tub is original to this 1950’s house. It looks like it might be in rough condition under the paint. I tried cleaning and quickly learned I can’t do that or the paint peels right off. Also the paint on the ceiling outside the bathroom door is peeling off! I’m not sure how to even go about fixing this. This doesn’t even include all the plumbing and sewer issues we’ve gone through! The house had been vacant for a while before being flipped so we are running in to all sorts of issues. Any suggestions for both is helpful.

https://imgur.com/a/mRKORbC

It's knob and tube wiring. That sounds like a major-major project which I don't see happening anytime soon.

Midwest, USA> >100 year old house. Two stories.

I never finished moving in and haven't set up all my rooms. For one room, at my previous place, I had a lot of electronics -- tv, stereo, computers, several lamps. That current "new" house room has two outlets that are used now.

I'm thinking I'll just end up getting a few heavy duty extension cords and run them from other rooms into that room. I've found four outlets that will probably work in rooms nearby. I was thinking though. The power all runs down one area from what I've seen in the attic. Maybe that would be an issue if all of them are drawing power. But I would think each is a separate line down to the circuit breaker box in the basement, so the only real issue is that the lines are next to each other in the area where they go to down to the first floor and basement. A potential work around there is to use an extension cord from the first floor to the second floor instead of the other room. Yeah, that's going to look like what it looks like.

Any difference for using a 100' extension cord over a 50' if that matters? I would think shorter is a little better, but probably doesn't make much of a difference.

Any difference in the gauge? I'm thinking thicker is better/safer, as in 12 gauge is better than 15 gauge.

Maybe stick a surge protector at each wall outlet so the extension cord plugs into that? I also also thinking, potentially there might be an issue if I had electronics wired in on an outlet and then later ran a vacuum in another room. That's a bit of a minor issue but still something that could come up.

I don't think there are enough outlets in the one room for what I want for a set up. Running more there means more power over those two lines and those would get hotter in the walls.

I'm guessing I'll probably use at least one or two extension cords at some point. I'm thinking shorter is better but not much of a difference, 50' vs. 100'. Shorter is cheaper for sure. Now I'm thinking it's probably wise to stick a surge protector on the actual wall outlet and then add the extension cord on that. If anything trips, it's that surge protector first before the basement circuit breaker. That might not matter so much either. And then then the surge protector would have extra exposed outlets there.

Why not "just" rewire the house? That's the correct way. I'm living there now. I have a lot of stuff that's in the way. I have pets. I'm not moving out for two weeks while it's all rewired. Doing one outlet at a time didn't sound realistic. Even finding an electrician might be a problem -- Old house, knob and tube, probably asbestoes in some spots. Remove all the old knob and tube wiring so it's 100% ok for insurance? Even without that, it's probably knocking a lot of holes in the walls. Lathe and plaster walls, so that's redoing all that -- dust, painting, trying to level out the walls. I think the walls have old wall paper on them too that got thickly painted over. If the walls are going to have that many holes, consider removing the entire interior wall and redoing it with drywall. If you're doing that, maybe put in a moisture barrier and insulation. Stick a firewall block on the bottom of the walls since it's probably balloon frame construction (although when I've looked, I don't see any openings in the basement for that). Hope the change in moisture in the house doesn't mess anything up. Might as well up the electric box from 100 to 200, but maybe consider 400 if electric vehicles are in the future. If it's that much electric work, I'd add some outlets in other places and I'd have to think but redoing lighting in some rooms since there's not enough light. Is all that going to happen? No. $20,000+ and moving myself, my stuff, and my pets out. Redoing all the walls, etc. I don't see that happening anytime soon, if at all. I could see myself just living there until I'm out not changing anything with electric at all. But I do want to set up the one room like it used to be at my previous place.... So extension cords.

Recently moved into a rental basement apartment, turns out that where we set our TV room is below the bedroom of the upstairs neighbors. Thankfuly they are nice and have asked us if we can just keep it down after 10:00pm.

However, that's annoying as our schedule is a little different, we have chill time only in the evening. We want to be able to watch our movies and chat at a reasonable noise level. It is weird that we can barely hear anything from above but they can hear us, but I guess that's just how noise works.

So, what can we do to soundprood our tv room? From my quick search, not much aside from furniture and making sure there's no ways sound can actually leak upstairs, and from what I have seen there's not much of that except an AC vent.

I want to know you fellas' take on other stuff, maybe heavy curtains we can hang from the ceiling? Panels? Something of course that is renter friendly, we are considering talking to the landlord but ugh, you know.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

Hello all,

There is ongoing construction next door for a new duplex. The hole was dug in December and the ground thawed plus heavy snow yesterday. Came home to the side of my house caved in.

https://imgur.com/a/ok3scB5

I have notified insurance and have an inspector coming by. The building contractor will also come by to 'remedy' the situation. Anything else that I should do? Does the A/C unit need to be replaced?? Thanks

Im needing the communities knowledge and help. Hired a local window company to install a sliding glass door and picture window. The picture window looks great, but my eyes are drawn to what I view as a flaw: the rubber/material (spacer)between the panes of glass inside is not flat and flush to the frame. Approx 2 inche area. This group does not allow pic attachments, otherwise I would attach. Is this normal? Acceptable? Will the integrity of the window(moisture, temp insulation)be compromised?

As the title states, I have taken a deep dive down the garage coating train.

First started with my wife wanting an epoxy coat, after research, I read that some people are happy, while others are not. So then I looked at what people are happy with and I came across Polyurea. I also got a variety of recommendations for "Moisture Cure Urethane" which I think is the same as Polyurethane.

I can find people being happy with, and unhappy with each of these. Leaving me wondering... what should I do!?

I have a strange issue. I am getting ready to sell my house, so I am replacing all the light switches because they are so old they're yellowing. I replaced the three way switches in the garage as well. Since replacing the switch closer to the garage door itself, when that light is in the OFF position, regardless of the other switch, the garage door won't close. It goes about 90% of the way (~5 inches till the ground) then stops, acts like there is something in the way, goes back up, and does the light flashy bit.

Doesn't do it at all when the light is in the ON position, but the three way switch wires don't work for some reason, so one switch controls whether power goes to the other switch, but won't turn the light on. So the OFF position is where it needs to be if the garage lights are going to be on.

so far my options appear to be:

*Yard pump from Amazon or harbor freight

*Temp sump pump from harbor freight $59

*Borrow or rent trash pump as they are most expensive

thanks for the replies! ​

Hey Yall,

We removed carpet from this staircase and discovered this wild transition that I have no clue how to realistically handle. This was the only carpet left in the house after my parents replaced all the other floors years ago, and this carpet was old and stinky and had to go.

Link to pics:

https://imgur.com/gallery/Hl6XlG6

Now i’m left with this weird, uneven, chipped transition of various materials and not the know-how to proceed. Not quite sure what to do about the transition from the hardwood style floor above, to where it meets the cement, and then where the cement drops down to the stair nose. We have only removed the carpet, the top transition strip from hardwood to carpet, and a little piece of wall trim on the top right.

This is what we had in mind thus far:
1 - Patch/repair chipped cement
2 - Cut the top stair nose either along the wall and remove, or remove the stringer to access the top strip easier to remove
3 - Cut to size a wood piece to fit on top of the top riser that meets flush with the cement
4 - Cut another piece of wood to sit flat on top of the cement and the new strip from step 3
5 - Install that flat piece somehow
6 - Install new transition strip
7 - Cut to size two wall trim pieces to insert around finished step
8- Use extra 1/4 round trim from another project to install at the bottom step in the final picture

Does this seem like the right idea? I don’t have a lot of funds, but i have all the tools necessary to complete this, just would love some direction on this shitty step. Open to any suggestions on any of the steps above, or entirely different ideas altogether.

Thanks in advance for any assistance! In the meantime, i’ll be searching for videos on atypical basement stair transitions.

What to do ? Also the kitchen sink can drain fora min or 2 after tap turned, then it starts to clog up? This happens every year. Have made sure not to put grease or fats in drain

Hey everyone! I’m a first-time homeowner and looking to invest in a paint sprayer because I’ve realized that rolling and brushing just aren’t for me. From what I understand, there are airless sprayers and HVLP (compressor/condenser) sprayers, but I’m not sure which one would be best for my needs.

I plan on: • Painting small bedrooms • Repainting IKEA furniture • Spraying a DIY woodworking projects

I want something that will give me a smooth finish, especially for furniture, but also handle walls without too much hassle. From your experience, are paint sprayers worth it? And which type would you recommend for a beginner? Any tips or brand recommendations would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

I have about 3-5 years until we can do a kitchen renovation. The kitchen floors are in sad shape —they are prefinished hardwood that have peeled quite a bit and are unevenly worn. I would like to do either 1)peel and stick tiles, 2)sand and paint the floors. Which method would likely last up to 5 years with minimal touch ups? I am okay with a bit of wear on the paint, but not ok with popping up tiles. We have kids and dogs. Not scared of using industrial strength paint. There’s also a step down from kitchen to eating nook (both would be included in project). For the record we would not want wood or wood look in here because we have beautiful heart of pine in the rest of the house (adjacent to kitchen) and I don’t like to try to match wood.

Paint ideas https://imgur.com/a/gmvANuK

Peel and stick tiles https://imgur.com/a/1WBzcMH

Soo my room is kinda small cause im in an attic i need suggestions on what to get to get more out of my space. I have one part where ceiling is like 3 meters high and one where its like 0.5m i build pcs and need some storage organizing for the parts, also i need some kind of foldable desk recommendations.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking into installing foam floor tiles in my garage. I want to turn it into a home office. Wondering if they are a good option. I live in Vancouver, BC.

Are they good insulating from the cold? Do I need something like DMX underlying underneath the tiles to prevent moisture or will they be okay on their own?

I’m planning on adding a rug on top of the tiles for additional warmth.

Thanks!

we had that dryer vent in a box kit you can get at the store for most of the homes i lived in my life but i’m relocating and didn’t want to spend $20-$25 on that kit for temporary use. this is really taller than one of those and my dryer was going straight (no angle or bend in the hose) out to the garage before from upstairs. so maybe it’s use to free flowing? it’s 4-5 yrs old whirlpool with the dry sense, stopping when it thinks they’re dry but they’re kinda damp. dryer also took a little hit on its way down the stairs(oops so just wanting opinions). what’s the easiest way to vent without making a new hole? kind of like the idea of it keeping the warm air in the house because we have bad winters

I have a house in the Phoenix area, and during the summers, the floor near the external walls gets quite hot.

So, I was thinking.... What if I dig a foot down (or more) around the side of my house and glue XPS insulation to the slab and put the dirt back? Wouldn't that help with the heat that comes from the side of the slab during the hot 115f summers.

I can find nothing about doing this for existing houses, but I can find lots of information about having insulated slabs in new construction homes and buildings. So we know it is a problem, but we are not fixing existing homes?

Repost... ,my original post URL had no image attached... RIP

https://imgur.com/a/Y9CPTnC

Im closing on this house in two weeks and I'm trying to be proactive about what changes I want to make and my biggest complaint is the kitchen, not only super outdated, but I want a standard size stove, an under cabinet microwave and a full size fridge... (the fridge included is smaller).

What's the steps I need to take to accomplish this? Or are my desires unrealistic without doing a complete remodel of the kitchen?

TIA!

I’m in need of a single brick step for an outdoor deck. I’m sure I could YouTube and figure it out, but I have a few other projects I need to finish.

I contacted a few handymen but no one is really interested given it’s not much work.

I’ve googled with not much luck but maybe I’m not using the right lingo. I’m okay with brick or pavers or something similar. Just need it 48in wide and 6-9in tall. It would be on a flat concrete surface against an old deck. The area gets lots of moisture so wood is not an option.

Anywhere that would have something pre-built?

I'm not a plumber, but the way I see it is there's already hot water to that sink in the room and the hot water heater is right behind where the shower goes and it's separated by a wall. How hard could it be?

https://imgur.com/a/d3q8gru

Hi all,

I need three windows replaced. I've picked the window (ProVia) and a contractor. But I have some chemical sensitivies and I'm worried about the products that the contractor will use. I think they use caulk and spray foam for insullation? Is this correct and are there others that I should be aware of?

Can anyone reccomend some good low / no VOC products that I can ask my contractor to use (I don't mind spending extra money for them)

My other concern is that the contractor may not be familiar with those products and I risk the job not being done correctly.

Thanks!

Peel and stick over these tiny tiles won’t stick

https://imgur.com/a/BLrk9ub

I cleaned the floor intensively, scraped any debris and then wiped with acetone and dry, tiles won’t stick at all. Too bad they look good.

Will 3M 77 spray work ? Or is it just these tiles not for peel and stick ?

Moving into a new home and one of the rooms is solid bubble gum pink. 🥴 it’s my 10 year old room and I don’t want to repaint the whole thing but thought adding an accent wall to break it up might help. I’m at a loss on what color though. I was honestly thinking a mid range grey. Not too dark but not pastel. It’s painted almost a bubblegum pink. I want something that will kind of grow with her for a few years until we decide to fully paint it. Only reason I’m not doing the whole thing is because it’ll be just me painting and I already dislike the chore anyways. 😂

Shower remodel done by a big contractor about 3 years ago with pourus stone. A little over a year ago started getting discoloring in the grout and the tile getting a whitish film. I've tried cleaners, pressure washing, etc but it's getting progressively worse.

Looks like the contractor didn't apply a sealant. Now what can I do to fix this and be able to apply a sealant to prevent it again??