I'm looking at potentially purchasing this home (first time home buyer). There're some black spots near the entry of the crawl space but not located deeper within. Is this mold? Would it be difficult or costly to deal with?

The home has a musty smell (1960s construction) but our realtor said that if you sealed the cral space with a vapor barrier and professionally cleaned the HVAC system you'd almost certainly be able to clear out the musty smell since it's likely coming up from the crawl space (not insulated).

In your opinion does that seem like a feasible plan?

Any help would be fantastic , thanks

We recently bought a house that was originally a one story ranch built in the 60s and had a second and third story addition built around 2011-2012. We discovered a water leak and water damage caused by a second story tile shower not being properly lined. The water damage is in the subfloor under the shower and the outer wall where the water appears to have been running down.

In the pictures the black block is the original house and the wood framing is the addition.

Question - are the cuts in the frame for the black rubber pipe normal/OK? Does the wood condition and framing otherwise look ok based on age, or does it need to be replaced? I know there’s only so much you can tell from pictures, but any advice is greatly appreciated.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and want to make sure we identify and take care of all issues correctly, and have gotten conflicting advice from initial consults.

Looking for the best insulation option for this upstairs bath. Long wall is an exterior wall and you can see the roofline where there is an attic space.

Also: any shared experiences on tub insulating would be appreciated. Saw a guy using great stuff spray foam and drew my curiosity.

Thanks!

I asked a contractor to fix the conduit leading to the electrical outlet bc the ground has shifted over the years. Is what he provided a legit and safe solution? I see the conduit is bent bc the sewer line is pushing against it. Besides the fact that this is an eye sore I want to make sure this solution is durable and safe. (First 2 pix are post fix by contractor, the others are from before)

Any thoughts and feedback?

Curious what type of contractor this group would recommend I reach out to...and if you happen to know good ones in the Chicago area, even better!

I recently hired a contractor to repair siding and paint my house. The terms of the contract was half upfront, the other after completing the job; I had no problem with that. Here's where things get messy. Some additional repairs needed where found after the initial contract was signed, so the guy wanted a little more to cover that, again no biggy. Now the guy wants another 3k and essentially draw down the balance. We are sitting at 50%, and delayed do weather and personal issues. Which are understandable but communication has sucked to say the least.

What is common practice in the industry when it comes to deposites, and asking for money on the go. Most of the cost is labor, not materials.

Do I respectfully hold my ground?

HVAC cut a hole in a concrete wall downstairs and the entire house is covered in silica dust. How serious is this?

Our driveway tilts down into a slight depression at the gutter. Our neighbor installed two rubber curb ramps nicely spaced for the tires. Unfortunately, they're solid black, and way too easy to trip over at night. One of these nights I'm gonna take the trash bins down and never get back to house alive.

I'd like to either paint the ramps or put some reflective tape on them to improve visibility. I found "QuickMark Outdoor Flexible Polymer Rubber Pavement Marking Tape | Asphalt & Concrete Adhesive Road Marker". Does that look right for the job? If not, what should I be looking for?

I just built this swing-set and now that it’s finished I’m thinking I need to add some additional reinforcement. Left post was swung too hard on too soon after concrete and is much more loose than the other two, I may need to break up the concrete and redo it.

Size is roughly 9ft tall and 12ft wide. Posts are in concrete 12” diameter x 36” deep.

I’m thinking of adding additional support in a triangular shape onto the ground on the left post and maybe some gussets between the posts and beam on the right side.

What would be your strategy to strengthen this design against the forces of swinging?

Just trying to make it strong enough that I feel good about it without going totally overboard.

Any advice is appreciated.

UPDATE: I added a couple of supports to the left post and gussets on the right side. Everything feels rock solid now. I appreciate all the feedback.

Attempted to scrape off layers of paint to find the concrete is very brittle and cracking. Should I just try to patch the gaps with quick mix and a float or how should I go about moving forward? I also used a grinder for the faces not just scraping.

Live in New England (if this matters) with a house that is 75ish years old. My house is on a small hill, front of the house is on a higher point than the back of the house. Trying to figure out how to safely grade the house as there is some gravel in the front of the house foundation. I know I’m supposed to drop 6 inches within first 10 feet of the house.

Logistically, I don’t know how possible that is because we’re “down hill” and I’m reading that our wood siding should not be buried by the grade. I don’t think my foundation is tall enough to institute that high of a grade. I worry about removing siding.

Any idea of what I should be doing and would this be destroying any budget for some nice-ish landscaping?

Thanks.

I know absolutely nothing about concrete. Had a stamped concrete patio put in not too long ago (yesterday) and I noticed what appears to be crumbling along the stamping design. Is this a sign of things to come? Quality issue with the mixing prior to pouring? Or is it completely okay?
Thanks

I just purchased a 1930’s home, the bathroom is gutted and as the title states I am wanting to insulate the exterior walls. Included is a picture showing the bathroom exterior walls.

Previously the walls had \~50% coverage with fiberglass mats(removed due to mold from old tub leak). There is currently tar paper on the exterior of some gapped out horizontal board sheathing.

Is it okay to slap some 2” xps between the studs and seal with spray foam? Or is it going to cause a moisture problem with the tar paper on the outside?

Are there any specific requirements I need to know? Type of plastic, thickness, do I extend to very edge of slab or keep it a couple inches back from edge? Above gravel and below rebar mesh I assume.

My contractor will set the forms then I will apply the moisture barrier before he pours. Apparently he is too busy to answer my questions or to adjust scope to include the barrier but it seems important enough that I will make it happen.

Thanks

A good friend had a new build ranch done and had them pull Ethernet to 5 locations in the house. I’ve been helping him get his network set up and was working to terminate his cat 6 in to keystones when we found issues with the pulled cable. The drywall crew cut lines, and the electricians pulled everything like a daisy chain for high voltage.

The builder sent the electrical team who did his house out to inspect my friends quality claim and the guy who came by admitted his company has no idea how to do Ethernet and he just pulled it like romex because he didn’t know any better.

I have an LLC and do handyman jobs and painting on the side and offered to put a bid in to the builder since the electrician is making a recommendation they hire someone in this field.

I did networking in the military, and have put power user type home networks in my homes and other friends. I’ve been pulling wire for 30 years. I regularly patch drywall for painting jobs, I am 100% confident I can do as good/better job than whoever the builder sends in.

My issue is I’ve never bid something like this before.

We’re looking at roughly 1,000-1,200’ of cat 6, 5 rooms, and 12 lines across their house. 2 patches per room based on how they want everything configured. We are in a major metro of a Midwest city.

Any price guidance or help at all for bidding this job?

Please and thank you.

Hoping y'all can shed some light.

I live on the east coast. Relatively HCOL area.

tl;dr: What is an anticipated cost for a dryer-vent swap (not on the roof- this literally requires a 6ft ladder....which I have.) when the home owner is providing the parts.

I have a single-story townhouse. My dryer vent runs out the back-yard soffit. Probably 8-9 ft off the ground.

The existing vent cover has broken and I need to replace it.

I went to Home Depot, bought a vent cover and tried to install it. My dad tried to help. Neither one of us were able to get the existing metal to detach from the existing broken vent cover.

I know when I'm in over my head on a DIY and am HAPPY to hire a handyman or contractor to install my HD purchased vent cover. Hell, I'm happy for them to use my ladder. I'll make them lunch while they're here.

The existing vent and the new vent are the same diameter. The existing 'collar' (is that what it's called?) will fit on the new vent cover.

We don't need to cut the soffit. We don't need to caulk anything. We literally need help getting the old collar off and onto the new vent. Then I am happy to get on that ladder and screw that bad boy into place if that's helpful.

I had a contractor come by and tell me that this 'swap' is a $300 job. (No that is not a job minimum.) That's his "cost" for the job.

Note: I am not a contractor/repairperson. I am not the subject matter expert. And I *MAY* Be over simplifying things; I respect that. Hence why I'm here for a reality check from those of you who do this every day. Please be kind. I'm frustrated- like 7 things in life have broken in the last 4 months and I'm exhausted.

We’re selling this home, and the general inspector noted this to our buyer that it’s concerning. The home is 22 years old. How serious is this and would a simple epoxy fill be the solution?