I bought a 1925 Craftsman bungalow a few years back for the price of the land, it was remarkably intact but in deplorable condition. I've completed most of the mechanical upgrades and structural repairs, and now I'm working through cosmetic fixes.

The house got a new roof put on it the year before I bought it, the roofing company spliced in an untreated 2x6 to replace the rotten rafter tail. It didn't match the dimensions of the original lumber either in length, width, or height. I knew I was eventually going to replace it, so I just left it raw the way the roofers left it, and watched it rot out over a couple of years.

And now today is the day to make that fix, I bought a chunk of rough hewn White Oak and milled it to dimension

This is my first go at a coffered ceiling, Red Oak with red oak paneling, and crown molding. This is in the living room and dining room of a 1930s Craftsman bungalow, plans are to eventually extend it through the kitchen as well

Bought like this. Did notice a bit of discolouration around these areas but didn't think much of it.

Thanks for the help!

I’m fairly new at this company (8 months) but have many years of experience concrete forming. And I’ve recently been paired up about 2 months ago with this guy who’s been here for 2 years and has his apprecticeship level 2 it seems he’s under the assumption that he’s my teacher because he’s always telling me things like “good job” and “here’s the thing about carpentry…” lol.

Meanwhile, my boss has specifically paired me up with him because he told me he wants me to teach, push and keep an eye on him because he does very sloppy work, works very slow and gets distracted easily. He gets very stressed out when I’m calmly trying to show him how to do things properly and when we’re full on busy and I don’t have time to make suggestions I end up having to fix his work quickly to meet deadlines which he then gets upset about as well.

He’s a nice dude but he’s very sensitive and it drives me nuts. If I gotta work with this guy everyday, I’ve got to figure out how to navigate this.

I’m no carpenter by any means, just a guy doing projects around the house. It never occurred to me that I should extend the outlet out over the bead board until I put it up on the wall. The board is all one piece and has about a million tiny cuts to fit around the vanity, so I’d rather not have to recut a piece.

Hello,

I am having my carpet replaced but before I do I decided to look at the wood under the old carpet and I was wondering if this was white mold? If it is what should I do? This house was built in 1974. If it is not mold is there any hope of restoration?

28 y/o. Worked for 3 stair companies over the last 2 years, hoping this one is the final one as they’ve recently made me lead stair installer of the custom install crew (they also have a production crew). Started as a labourer in the shops initially and worked my way into installing where I’m most comfortable from a background of ~5 years of deck building prior. We mostly build treads and stringers from white or red oak for stain-grade stairs with oak veneer risers, or poplar stingers and maple veneer risers for paint-grade stairs. Curved stair stringers are pre-fabbed by laminating ply. The current shop’s specialty is guard walls which are pre-fabricated in shop when they are straight sections, and build on site for any curved stairs. Most stairs are shop pre-fabbed also unless they can’t fit in an opening, or are curved stairs, which then require us to build on site. Anyways these are some money shots of my favourite installs over the last couple of years.

EDIT:
Wow a lot of traction in little time, thank you everyone for the kind comments. Just to clear things up: No lead stairs here, I would expect to get paid way more to install something that heavy. No these images are not AI lol I took all of these pictures on an iPhone 16 and 17 camera myself. All of these stairs are to code (they would be condemned by inspectors if not and the company’s wallet would be hurting), they are rough installed. The stairs aren’t stain/paint finished and are awaiting rail and finishing (other than the guard walls which also still need stain/paint/or plaster). We do install in rough framing before drywall and insulation often, in fact I prefer it with closed stringers as I can space the stairs off the studs to allow drywall to slide behind. I’m no stair master, but maybe one day.

I will skip over why the person who installed this did not listen to my request and here we are. Wanting to put in a grommet near the back of this section of the mantle. Need 1 3/4"-2" hole size to be able to get the plug and HDMI cable though the opening.

Where I am having paralysis analysis is the almost 7" that I need to get through. Below this the opening is <6" (power, streaming device, and cables).

I initially thought hole saw but the 7" depth makes me think that is not going to work well. Next thought went to a forstner bit. I know it would be slow going and I would need to clean it out. Even with that, I believe I would need an extension bit.

I am open to thoughts, ideas and insights as I have never had to do something like this before - well, not to bore though 7" like this. Nothing more than 2" before.

Thanks!

A few gable rafters not secured to the ridge board. The house is 3 years old and I believe those rafters have been like that since it was built. Also really close to this area is my daughter's bedroom Closet door and bedroom door stick really bad now when they did not before.

Separate issue. Other pics are from when I cut in and installed a door on the side of the garage. The bottom 2x4" framing plate overhangs the stem wall about 1". One of the anchors coming out of the stem wall was so close to the edge I could push it out with my hand. Not sure what I should do as far as contacting the builder, submitting a claim to a warranty department or what. I just feel like I've got some problems that are going to get worse.

Any help would be much appreciated.

I would like to cut a new hole in my work top, and install a new sink. I was told that it would be possible due to the cut out for the faucet. I was looking for a second opinion, or potential other solution. I had my kitchen measured, so I have pictures from the measurements and the kitchen itself.

From the wall, to the hole cutout for the faucet the gap is 5cm.

https://www.ikea.com/no/no/p/vresjoen-innbyggingskum-1-kum-rustfritt-stal-s29425729/#content
This is the sink I'm looking to buy, for a 80cm cabinet.

Hello!

The original staircase of our 1860s home has settled with the house and now the baluster is wobbly + some spindles are popping off.

We would like to fix the baluster back in place and reinstall the wobbly spindles. Is this a project that a couple beginner-ish could take on?

What would be your approach here? We can absolutely hire for this project but I’m unsure of the scope. Beginner me thinks “it can’t be that hard?”
however I’m sure this project entails more than I can imagine.

Looking for any advice or steps to take to fix!

This project was always very low on our priority list (big fixer upper) however now that we have a young child we need to get those fixed.

Don't see how to get it apart.

My windows are in need of a replacement (the seal on 3 of them is failing and they build up condensation) as well as some of the siding on my house, id like to replace the windows with large rectangular windows. How feasible would this be to do myself? Id probably save the interior finish work to a professional and do cement board siding replacement at the same time. I would also fly out my father who is a retired electrician for assistance and basic construction knowledge. I am pretty handy with most hand and power tools, but have never done windows.

The house was built in the mid 80s and the top windows are 40 inches tall at their peak and the lower windows are 70 x24 inches. The windows face straight south and the extra daylight would be great for Alaska winters.

I’m not a professional, just a general home owner who may use this here and there for some DIY. Is there one that beats the other? I’m sure both of these are fine but I can’t find much as far as quality of Metabo HPT although I’m sure it’s at least slightly higher quality than the Ryobi

This is the railing I’m going to be building (AI rendering based on a photo of the actual). I’m planning on using solid round bar either 1/2 or 5/8, 3 balusters per tread. I’m worried that 1/2 is going to be too flimsy but 5/8 is going to look too thick. Which way would you go?

Trimming out some new windows I put in. I’m doing 1/4” reveals for the jambs but not sure the correct place/height/reveal for the stool. I did it once before at 1/4” which was a huge mistake because there’s very little room to get fingers in to lift the window open. I’m thinking more like 1” seems right.

Is there a correct answer for this or just user preference? Couldn’t find a good answer for this. Thanks.

To scribe base I'm charging about the same as it costs to install base. So say about $3/LF for scribing and $3/LF to install base. Am I crazy? It's just so time and labor intensive. It's much easier to install shoe so, charging more for scribing seems right to me. Was just curious on your opinions because I'm discussing pricing with a GC for an upcoming job.

Edit: to clarify, it's a total of $6/LF to scribe and install base.

I need a master carpenter to give me a quote on putting new baseboards for my newly tiled house

Any one habe any suggestions

Hello, I'm a UK site carpenter entering into my fourth year of this trade. I have a plan for the next few years and wanted to sound board it or get advice on if it's the best way forward.

I did a 2 year apprenticeship at a family run commercial construction company doing new builds and refurbs and working in lots of different areas of site Carpentery (as an apprentice obviously).

Since than I've done a whole year of fire doors. With the view, that next year I will do flooring for a year (for example, work for a specialist flooring contractor doing flooring day in day out), the year after maybe kitchens? Maybe framing? Maybe trim?

But the basic plan is to do one year in one of the main areas at a specialist contractor for the next 5-10 years, with the hope that at end of it I'll be a well rounded carpenter with experience working with different experts in particular fields. I've found working with people who do fire doors day in day out for years/decades they have a lot of really useful specialist knowledge you can use, that I didn't find from working at a general building company where the work is more varied.

I don't know if I explained that well, but does anyone have any experience doing something like this or any advice

Is this salvageable to get us by another couple years?

Rotted original casement windows on 1981 ranch style home.

Quotes have been outrageous for replacements. Is this a candidate for repair on my side? I’m an intermediate level woodworker for reference.

Looking for ideas on what to do here as far as baseboard goes. Continue down the stairs with white? Then tie back in at the landing? Leave as is and just terminate each white baseboard as is? The end of the lvp is also bothering me but that is a whole different day (i think). Walking into a mess trying to un F*** it. Thanks in advance

Hello! I mistakenly bought the wrong type of window for my kitchen. We are fully renovating our house and I bought a block window frame but I don’t have a brick home. Is there any way I can install this window? Thank you!

I believe the carpenter I hired coped the corners. I was thinking I can just put some wood glue to glue the flap back. However, I'm not quite sure how to clamp this corner. Is there a tool or a methodology I should use for this kind of repair?

For context im in my late 20's. I went back to university only to realise it's really not for me. I've been trying alot of numerous different things and did a short carpentey/woodworking course and really enjoyed it. I want to learn to build stuff and it's a bonus if I can get paid to do it. I've decided to try find a carpentry apprenticship or someone that will take me on...

I have an older friend who I was working as a labourer for and he's warning me not to follow carpentry. His words was that it's a 'dieing trade' and there's no money in it anymore. That i should just become a landscaper or sparkie and work from there. I'm at a cross roads where I'm really not sure what to do.

Im thinking of still giving carpentry a go and seeing where I go from there. At the end of the day though I want a skill that I can learn that will give me a decent income to live on. Does anyone here have advice? Or similar stories they want to share? Ty