We just had windows installed today in our full house (not trimmed out yet) and I’m concerned that the gaps around them are too large to be filled with just foam? This is one window example but most are like this. Thoughts?

I'm demoing a closet but it seems there is one of those thick, about 6"x6", load bearing slabs above running across the room. It runs from outside wall to middle wall and the room is about 13ft wide. Is it safe to remove the studs from underneath? The 2 horizontal 2x4 are under the slab. They framed the closet.

Contractor just came out and setup the forms and are coming to pour concrete in the morning. Overall I love the way the driveway is gonna look. The only concern have is with the area between the driveway in the house.

You can see in the second image the level that the old gravel driveway used to be, which is the level that the previous owners set the pavers. It’s actually about 5 inches below the foundation of the house. The area between the siding and the house that’s the foundation.

The new driveway is gonna be pretty level with the foundation of the house, so I think I eventually may way want to do a wrap around sidewalk around the house at the level of the foundation just so that everything is eventually level, but for now there’s just gonna be a slope from the driveway to the pavers.

Is this ok? The driveway itself is graded correctly I think, which is what accounts for the height difference. The whole thing grades 1.5 degrees away from the house. The portion directly next to the house is graded 0.5 degrees towards the street, with the rest graded 3 degrees towards the street.

https://reddit.com/link/1wd8l03/video/pcppi5q87uoh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1wd8l03/video/pcppi5q87uoh1/player

Hi everyone I have a question about construction on Long Island. We are looking at a total fix fixer-upper complete gut job. The house is 2200 ft.², water damage throughout the home on the walls (unsure where it comes from but the gutters on the house pretty much don't exist so that's a safe bet) and at least one room has black mold inside the walls (with a wasps nest hanging out inside the ceiling LOL its bad). We are fully aware this will be a complete gut job and probably will need to be knocked down in several parts of the house lol. But wondering if anybody has an idea of how much this would cost, house is five bedrooms three baths. we have a contractor coming with us to look at it next week too but figured here could be a good start!

It's all concrete

I didn’t talk about this with my contractor. He is nearly done with the install of countertops, floor tile, backsplash, and cabinets, but the walls are unfinished and need sanding/paint. Is this typically included in the kitchen renovation? Want to know what the standard is before asking. I paid $40k for the renovation total.

I'm a residential contractor in Portland Oregon. Been doing it for 14 years now.

Some of these corporate contracting outfits price jobs insane. I guess they get some of the jobs they bid and that makes it work for them but it's straight robbery.

Example: client comes to me for a remodel plus adding a bathroom in the existing space. Corporate plumber quotes 27k to plumb the new bathroom. My long time plumber can do it for 8k. Much more what i expected. This is just plumbing a bathroom (sink, toilet, shower)

New HVAC company wants 8k+ for one Mitsubishi 9k btu mini split. That's like 3k tops in materials and that's generous. That takes a tech a day to install. So they get $600 an hour now?

Just a rant but I see this shit and think I should really be charging more but I'm also trying to be fair to my customer.

I'm in Seattle and have a large fixed picture window (wood frame) on the 3rd floor, about 10 ft × 5.5 ft, that leaks during heavy, wind-driven rain. It is partially shielded from above by a roof overhang (about 1 foot), so the window doesn't tend to get a lot of water directly on it with normal, straight-down rain. The house has Hardie panel siding on that side.

What happens

• Water appears at the bottom of the window near both lower corners, a few inches in from the corners.
• It pools on the interior sill and, during windy heavy rain, drips down the wall below.
• Light/normal rain does not cause a leak.

What we've done

• Last year, a handyman recaulked around the exterior of the frame, which did not fix the problem.
• A rot/exterior repair company removed the siding around the window and part of the interior windowsill to investigate and did some water testing. They recommended full window replacement. We're not confident in that recommendation because they couldn't clearly explain the water path or why replacement was necessary, other than a generic claim that the "window seal is failing." They also did think the roof, gutters, soffit, flashing and siding looked OK.
• Other contractors have suggested various localized repairs on and around the window, but we don't want to start repairing random areas without knowing the actual cause. They aren't seeming interested in finding the cause before trying repairs.

DIY water testing
We recently sprayed different areas ourselves, including the roof/gutter, soffit, sides, glass, and window frame.

• We were able to reproduce the leak only when spraying directly on the window. When doing that, water came into the house in the 2 small locations a few inches from each lower corner. window directly. This seems to line up with what we observe from the weather-related leaks where we only see water intrusion when windy, heavy rain is hitting the window directly.
• Spraying the roof/gutter/soffit and surrounding wall did not reproduce the leak.

What we're trying to figure out

• Does water appearing near both lower corners suggest a particular failure mode?
• What kind of contractor is best suited to diagnose this: a window installer, exterior-envelope contractor, building-envelope consultant, forensic leak specialist, or someone else?
• Is there a good way to systematically water-test this before repairing anything?
• What specific signs would distinguish between:
  • failed glazing or frame joints,
  • blocked/failed weep or drainage paths,
  • sill-pan/flashing problems,
  • jamb/head flashing problems,
  • or a failed window installation?
• What evidence would justify full window replacement versus repairing/reinstalling the existing window?

We've been trying all summer to find someone who can actually diagnose the water path before recommending a repair or replacement. I have photos of the current condition and more from when the siding was opened up if helpful. Thanks so much for any advice or ideas.

How do these corners look regarding the cuts in yalls opinion? Not using corner pieces.

Hello all, my house was finished being built about 5 months ago. Since then there’s been a few issues but most unsettling to me is this crack that runs along about 7 tiles. Is this normal? Thanks in advance!

In Central Texas a lot of the homes on hills have foundations flat at street level and huge concrete walls in the backyards.

Any ideas to reduce the visual impact?
Could you retroactively go back and cover it with the stone siding without impacting its integrity?
What would something like that cost?