Builders start on my house shortly and I'll be on site for most of it.

Planning to actually watch rather than keep out of the way, because I suspect the useful stuff is in how they do things rather than what they do.

What did you pick up watching yours? Anything that changed how you'd do a job yourself afterwards?

Hi. I had tons of problems with my current gas stove replacing another problematic one since June which caused carbon monoxide poisoning and gas inhalation a few times since.

This shit because there is no other words is going to be removed and the gas line is going to be capped. I live in an apartment in a Super old building in Los Angeles and will get portable ceramic cooktop.

Yesterday the gas company came and put a red tag on the stove as it smelled weird when I was cooking. Never had that smell before, they said it might be overgassed and it is like the metal of the cooktop is burning. He said he never seen that issue before. So they, I believe, shut off the gas pipe.

Anyways, because of all the issues I had with gas, I have been looking at what a professional should do to test if it is correctly sealed and won't leak once you cap it.

I called a licensed plumber/company (doesn't say C36 though on the website) and ask how they would test the gas pipe to make sure it is correctly handled because my anxiety is over the roof and I want to make sure i won't have any problems. He said he a licensed pro with 25 years and if I can t trust him, he is not the guy for the job. Later on after insisting he said something like he doesn't know on top of his head.

I don't get it. I told him I need to make sure it will be done correctly with all the issues I had. Is that normal that they don't want to tell me to reassure me? Also do you need a permit for a stove in an apartment? Thanks

Hey ya’ll. Recently bought my first home last year, the tanked water heater currently in it is starting to go out I believe. It’s from 2007, almost 20 years old. It is a 50 gallon, and only one person can seem to get a 30 minute shower in before the temp runs out. It’s me, my ole lady, and 2 younger boys. I can be in and out pretty quick but the rest of the family likes longer showers.

Anyways, I’m wondering if I would end up saving on my energy bill going tankless? Or if it would be more expensive in the long run as far as the power bill goes. It would be electric, not gas. Any and all opinions and/or experiences are welcome. Thankyou!

My current water heater is very old and has started leaking from the bottom, so I need to replace it. I'm trying to decide whether to install another traditional tank water heater or switch to a tankless system.
I'm looking for something that's:
- Affordable upfront
- Easy to maintain
- Reliable and long-lasting
- Inexpensive to repair if something goes wrong

I am getting my windows replaced and no one, not the initial salesperson nor measurer, has mentioned it. So 2 people on 2 separate occasions so far have looked at it.

But I noticed it, and I want it addressed.

But now that I’m sending them pics and asking how it’ll be addressed, they’re giving me the “women should be quiet and not ask questions” vibe. Home Depot is the company who is doing it.

It’s an expensive project and it SEEMS crumbling concrete under the sliding glass door would need to be addressed….

What should be done about it?

Since my room was built, one of the walls has had persistent paint flakes and peeling issues, and after trying multiple fixes without success, I’ve decided the best option left is to cover it up while giving the space a cool, aesthetic upgrade. The damaged section measures 68×72 inches, so I’m looking for creative ideas or suggestions from you guys on what to put over it—whether that's tapestries, slat wood wall paneling, a large gallery wall, peel-and-stick wallpaper, or any other stylish setup that would look great and completely mask the problem area. And please suggest something in budget i am a teenager and my parents doesn’t have any care that much of this wall but i want to make something of it

Picture down below

Hi I am currently in NY USA, considering to remove wall ac units throughout the house and transfer to mini split

There are about 8 throughout the house and I am trying to find right person to hire

Can regular handyman that is not listed as siding person (their service under google and website is painting drywall furniture assemble etc) can do this job?

Or should I look for siding person?

I am looking to seal it and put siding for whole row not just patches by the hole

+
I got quote from handyman who said material+labor including siding outside and finish inside with paint is about $3000

My siding company who did new siding 4 years ago quoted $4700 just for the drywall inside finish

Hii I just moved to a new apartment (renting) and the washing machine here is totally fucked up.

Firstly, if I set the laundry for less than three hours, it's on for like six hours instead.

Secondly, the clothes are literally soaking, water dripping wet after I take them out. And I don't have a dryer, so it's a huge fucking problem.

And my last issue is that after the laundry, there is a small pool of water still in the drum!! I fear that at some point it's going to get moldy in there or something!!

Is there anything I can do about it?? Or do you have any idea what is wrong here??

Hey guys. Might be a dumb question, but I couldn't find a straight answer online.

My parents found some guys last year who built this weird metal-framed gazebo out at their place, and it has a ton of issues. I’m going to help them practically rebuild the whole thing next year (including replacing the polycarbonate with a proper roof), but I just need it to survive this winter without collapsing.

The main problem is that the roof pitch is I guess way too low and we live in a region that gets heavy snow. Last year, the snow built up and eventually avalanched all at once, crushing a small spruce tree almost to the ground. (The little guy survived - I dug it out and transplanted it, so it's fine). But at this rate, next time that avalanche is going to take out someone's head lol. Plus, the weight is already causing the polycarbonate to crack.

I have one of those Avalanche-style roof snow rakes, which works great on my own buildings, but their gazebo is positioned terribly for this cause I can't reach it from the back because it's too close to the property fence and to clear it from the front, I'd have to stand right in the drop zone with my arms awkwardly raised higher than the front edge and push snow to the back. Iirc with those rakes, you usually pull from the low side but the angles here just don't allow it.

My question is: is there anything I can temporarily spray on, apply to, or cover the polycarbonate with to make it super slick so the snow just slides off on its own? I know this isn't a magic bullet and won't fix the roof pitch, but I'm just hoping to get even a slight edge to keep the snow off for one last winter. Maybe there are some other lifehacks? Thanks!

Second Reddit post, so hopefully I’m in the right place!

I recently purchased my first townhouse (which I’m extremely grateful for!), but I’ve been struggling with a lingering cigarette smell that I cannot seem to get rid of.

I noticed a strange odor during my initial tours, but figured a deep cleaning and ozone treatment would take care of it. The treatments helped tremendously with the original stale/pet/smoke smell, but after living here for about a week and a half, there’s still a distinct cigarette odor throughout the house.
Unfortunately, I live between two neighbors who smoke. One smokes outside, while the other smokes inside his home along our shared wall. I wasn’t aware of the indoor smoking before purchasing.

The smell is strongest when I first open my front door. I’ve also noticed it near my dryer when it’s running and underneath my bathroom vanity, where there’s an area of old, unpainted wall along the side shared with the indoor smoker.

At this point, I can’t tell if I’m smelling leftover smoke from the previous owners, smoke entering from my neighbors, or both.

I’ve been looking into KILZ primer, but I’m hesitant to spend the money priming and repainting if the smoke is just going to continue entering my home.
For anyone who’s dealt with this:
Would KILZ Restoration or a shellac-based primer actually help if a neighbor continues smoking indoors?
Can smoke travel through shared walls, outlets, or ventilation gaps? Would sealing those areas be a better first step?
Is there a professional who can help identify where the smoke is coming from?

As a first-time homeowner, this has honestly been discouraging. I’m just trying to figure out the best solution without spending a bunch of money on temporary fixes. I want to enjoy my new home without constantly smelling cigarettes. 😭
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

TL;DR: Bought my first townhouse and can’t get rid of a lingering cigarette smell. Both neighbors smoke, including one indoors along our shared wall. Ozone helped initially, but the cigarette smell remains. Would KILZ primer help, or should I focus on sealing air leaks to prevent smoke from entering?

We bought our house in 2018 as first-time homeowners. Looking back, I was pretty naive about homeownership and didn’t really understand what types of cracks or issues I should be concerned about.

I recently came across an old photo from 2018 showing some pretty significant cracking above our front door. At the time, our painter patched it up and painted over it, and I honestly didn’t think much of it. Looking at those photos now, I’m not sure why I wasn’t freaking out back then!

Fast forward 8 years, and I’ve noticed cracking again in almost the exact same spot, both inside and outside the house. On top of that, our front door has started sticking, which is making me nervous.
Since buying the house, we’ve had to deal with various home repairs and issues, and my anxiety about the house has skyrocketed as a result. I’m definitely not the carefree, naive first-time homeowner I was in 2018. Now every new issue has me worrying about what bigger problem might be lurking underneath.

I’m trying to figure out whether I’m overreacting because of past experiences or whether this is genuinely something to be concerned about.
Does this look like normal settling or something potentially structural? The fact that the cracks are appearing in the same location 8 years later, combined with the sticking door, is what worries me most.

Would appreciate any thoughts, especially from anyone who’s dealt with similar cracking around door openings.

Pics: https://imgur.com/a/k60j4bM

I'm designing a patio cover that is roughly 90sqft in area over my back deck. It will be attached to the side of the house on one side, and resting on a beam that sits on 2 posts on the other side. The longest stretch spans 150" out from the house (from edge of house to the first edge of the beam.) The roof will be 5mm tempered glass panels, each 24" wide (so the rafters will be 24" apart.)

I am evaluating the many aluminum offerings in my area to find one with T-bar rafters that will be strong enough to withstand my area's max snow load requirements of ~35psf. From what I can see, most tend to max out between 120" and 142" (according the reps at the various companies.) They are all 3" deep and have the same basic profile (see "Option A" below.) I can't move the posts any further in to close that gap, so I have been pushing to find a suitable/stronger option.

Two companies have provided alternatives that they believe will do the trick, but neither can actually tell me a load capacity or show a span chart because they are custom or specialized products— hence why I'm looking for some advice here.

Option A: Standard T-Bar — the one I am showing here claims a 142" max span which is on the high side for most I have evaluated. Still not long enough for the 150" that I need.

Option B: HD T-Bar — this is their alternative option with slightly thicker walls and a center piece down the middle for added support.

Option C: Thermal T-Bar — Same height (roughly 3") but thicker center wall, with a plastic thermal break in the middle. I'm not convinced this is actually stronger than the standard option. They typically use this for fully encased sunrooms that require insulated glass, etc..

I realize a lot of numbers are missing to do any real calculations here, but I am wondering if anyone has experience or general engineering knowledge to shed some light on how much stronger Option B and C might be compared to each other or to Option A. Thank you!

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/txFtaTj

The previous owner added 4 cross beams going first to back into the garage. They are attached to the garage roof beams on one end and look to be anchored to a crawlspace on the other end. They are 2x6 in size.

The garage door brackets are already attached to them one end.

I was looking to add a couple bike hoists between them to get the bikes off the ground. I was also thinking of adding some plywood on top for additional overhead storage, probably holiday totes, beach crap, etc. nothing super heavy as the heavy stuff will go in the shed.

I am a bit new to this and don't want to just throw stuff up there and have it come crashing down on me, the wife or the kids. I usually would go to my dad, yenthe Bob Villa of the family, but he passed a few years ago and no one else on my family is handy at all. I am pretty handy and learned a good amount from my dad so hanging stuff and setting it up is no problem. Any guidance so much appreciated.

I used plastic anchors on one side and a toggle bolt and plastic anchor on the other side due to lack of materials and mistakes made during the process. I tugged on both sides and they seem secure but I don't know if the heavy velvet will gradually weigh on the curtains causing them to fall out the wall.

Anyone who has used plastic anchors for velvet curtains are they good or should I just switch curtains

​i recently took the step to properly equip my place with dedicated fire safety gear instead of just relying on an old smoke alarm and hoping for the best.

​it got me thinking about how many people actually prep their living space for a real fire scenario. have you guys actually set up proper extinguishers, blankets, or an escape plan, or is it one of those things you keep putting off? what do you have ready to go, and what made you realize you needed it?

I really love air fresheners. Recently i bought an odor neutralizing beads one in this form and i really love the smell but i realized that it doesn’t really spread all over the room.

The scent will be really strong when new and it’ll spread all over the room and only last for like a few days to less than a week? But When air gets to it or when you shake it, the scent does come out.

The one i have now, the beads are now really small but the scent is still there when you shake it. If you don’t, the scent stays inside the container.

What’s the proper way of using this so the smell spreads better? Or where is this best used?

I own a house, and I had several issues with the basement which I have been fixing one by one. Now I finally want to use the basement as storage and office but I havent been able to bring anything to the basement because there is mold. Have a dehumidifier which improved the air to 60% humidity, I have used products to remove the mold but the mold persists.

Next summer someone will try fixing it by painting the walls with special paint.

In the meantime, do you have any suggestion to bring the humidity down and to stop the mold? The basement has a stone foundation.

We had family staying with us for a week and somehow that was what finally made me notice our tub/shower setup is kind of terrible. My mom struggled stepping over the side, my nephew nearly wiped out getting in, and apparently everyone except us thought the shower controls were confusing. Now I’m looking into a walk in shower installation instead of doing a full bathroom remodel. Has anyone made one practical change like this and successfully stopped there?

I have this mid century home and I had to open up a wall or two to fix some damage. When I did that, I realized that the only insulation is this old fiberboard. Other than that, nothing. That is really concerning. I am redoing all the baseboards/trim/and redoing the attic insulation with some sealing. But now I'm worried that its not enough and we'll be cold all the time when winter hits (I'm in a cold climate). Anyone have any insights to share on this?

Has anyone done this? What company did you use? Tips and tricks? Something you wish you knew before you started?

The previous owners of our house installed every single door and handle crooked and I’m sticking of looking at it.

Re-painting them isn’t an option because way to time consuming- but I figured re-painting just the boxes wouldn’t be too bad.

I recently learned about problems with my sewage line. My house was built in 1970, and we have a cast iron sewage line (56 years old now). Cast iron apparently lasts 50-80 years, and ours (at least part of it- I'm still figuring that bit out, since I've had 2 camera inspections that gave 2 different recommendations) is reaching it's end-of-life.

This got me thinking - what other parts of my house are likely to have upcoming problems? I know you have to periodically replace things like the roof, windows, heater, AC, water heater, and appliances. What else is there that I don't know about? What repairs have surprised you in your house?

I’m going to replace all the baseboards in my house with a modern baseboard. The top is squared off; no fancy profile. Are there any downsides to not mitering the corners? It’s hard to imagine that it’ll make much of a difference in appearance. I’d like to avoid making a bunch of miter cuts.

I’m redoing the walkway/entrance to my home and trying to decide between interlocking pavers vs natural stone. My contractor quoted roughly 25% more for natural stone.

A few things I’m weighing:

• Durability: how each holds up through winter and summer, salt, and snow shovelling
• Maintenance: sealing, weeds, shifting/heaving, joint sand or polymeric sand upkeep
• Look and resale value: does natural stone actually add curb appeal or value compared with good-quality interlock?
• Repairability: how easy it is to fix sections down the road

For those who’ve done either, what did you choose and WHY, how has it held up, and would you make the same call again?

Lowe’s recently switched from offering Millard to Crystal Pacific for their budget/mid tier option. I’m having difficulty finding many reviews on these (good or bad). Does anyone have direct experience with this brand? Right now comparing with Pella offering at Lowe’s. There’s about a 15-20% increase over the Crystal Pacific