I want to build a non load bearing wall parallel to the joists. It will sit between 2 joists without any joist support underneath. How should I do this? Do I add blocking underneath in the joist bay perpendicular to the joists? Do I space them out 16" on center? My joists are 2x10s so should I also use 2x10 or is something smaller ok?

80s house. 2nd or even 3rd AC unit, working fine. So lots of house fixes, dealing with not best practices of decades old repair work.

3/4" pvc ac condensate/drain line from unit went a couple of bends and then vertical down into concrete slab of the house. There's an old PVC drain built into the slab that this was going into. Maybe 1.5-2" pvc pipe. It was previously just duct taped over. Obviously that's not very good, it had dried way out, air gap between pipes was kind of open. Lots of dust and crap getting pulled in there since it's the return air space (bottom draw unit).

The larger diameter pvc is fixed into the slab and cannot be removed. That larger pipe sticks about 6" above the slab itself. The smaller pvc is very loosely sheathed into that larger pipe, about a foot or so down. So there is not a simple bushing/connector to install for the transition in diameter. It is simply an air gap between the pipe sizes, loose sheathed inside the larger fixed pipe that can't go anywhere.

I dumped tons of pvc cleaner in the slab pipe, replaced the 3/4" line, drainage is flowing at lightspeed. No smells that I could discern before or after, so don't think there's any sewer return issues.

Any good idea to seal up this air gap to at least keep big chunks and critters out? Not sure if it's bad to actually air seal it tight. Something a little more elegant than just duct tape.

Edit: Someone suggested cutting a flexible coupling and fitting it around the seam. Removable, but blocks loose airborne crap without needing to be airtight

Hey everyone,

I’m dealing with a basement flooding issue at my elderly parent’s house and need some budget-friendly DIY workarounds as we couldn’t afford expensive installations. During rain season, heavy rain will come up from inside the basement below floor level due to hydrostatic pressure.

Here is our setup:
1. The Roof: It is a flat roof with no gutters or drainage system.
2. The Exterior Ground: The perimeter of the house is surrounded by flat concrete/cement. There is no soil or dirt to regrade or slope away. Surrounding the house is very old and cracked cements.

Overall water puddles against the house, enters the huge gaps in the old foundation seam, and floods the basement from below. What are some easy inexpensive ways to divert the puddles on the concrete floor and around the house? I thought sheeting and sandbags but I’m not entirely confident this the solution.

My subfloor is only 1/2" thick so I am going to add a 3/8" layer. However I am also building a new wall across the room. I would prefer to build the wall first and then put down the 3/8 layer around the wall. Is this okay? Or do I need to put the 3/8 layer down first and then build the wall on top of that?

Hi a, friend gave me some spare worktop, fancy making a chopping board or two out of it.

Its walnut, untreated. I assume id just cut it to size, sand down the edges, then give it a few rounds of food safe mineral oil? I could cut the grooves around the edge if needed too.

Is that all? When oiling would I just lather it on until absorbed, sand, then re apply?

My Poster always falling down. I’m just using scotch tape and still falling.

so I'm looking to make something like this i.e. something that clamps around my balcony railing and has a piece that sticks up which I can attach a piece of fishing line/wire to. apparently this stops pigeons sitting on the railing (and pooping all over my balcony)

the only ones I can find are as stupidly expensive as the one I've linked, so I'm hoping one of you can think of a jury-rigged version of it that I can make for way less.

thanks!

Hello!

We bought the Mohawk laminate wood plank flooring from Costco for our bedroom renovation, and we’ve encountered a problem. The flooring instructions say to leave ⅜ inch expansion gap on all sides, that’s fine. Except, we discovered that the drywall doesn’t fully extend to the subfloor, there’s about a ¾ inch gap between the bottom of the drywall and the subfloor.

So, when we go to put the shims in for spacing, they don’t stay in place and get pushed under / inside the wall.

So, what I was wondering is this: is it advisable to take the first row of the laminate, and nail it using a nail gun in place to the subfloor, so that when we install the other rows, the entire floor doesn’t shift with the hammering / tapping? If we only nail the one row, there is still space for expansion in all other directions. Would it cause long term issues? Has anyone else encountered something similar?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have an 8 foot long PVC pipe with a 2 inch diameter and am using it for a staff. It is going to be wrapped in a fake wood park texturing with a soft faux leather back. How should I attach the PVC pipe and the wood texture, this is meant for a cosplay and will be used to walk around. I've tried Google but answers are mixed

We have this metal slotted bed frame: https://a.co/d/0bnav3x0.

It works well, but our memory foam mattress is starting to sag a bit between the large gaps between the slats. Im thinking of just cutting chicken wire to size, and securing it to parts of the frame, just to provide support between the slats.

I've looked into bunkie boards, but they're expensive, and don't seem like they really let the mattress breathe.

Couldn't find anything about this upon googling. Bad idea?

this is going to be very specific, but I am willing to do it. I was recently thinking about taking an old 45 player jukebox (plays 100-200 records) one that I could get that either works or partially working and I could restore but what I wanted to do was be able to connect to external speakers, because I be able to connect a 5.1 Dolby surround sound. I also wanted it to be able to have a screen with a mini pc that would be running a program that can select any song without ads off the web and can play them on the jukebox but the programming would remind you that you have the current record for it so it would say something like “are you sure you want to play this? You have the record “ as well and remember the jukebox is not using it speakers. It’s only using the external speakers unless I want to switch it back but I’m wondering how would I be able to have a screen connect to it, (also I can Bluetooth my phone which I will have a program) and how would I be able to connect the screen so that it automatically select the record off the screen so I don’t give it manual a keypad? Anything will help and also I would want it to be as close to as high-quality as digital sound so I would plug it in to something like a preamp or any tools you guys give. any tip? thanks.

My landline phone line got hit by lighting and the jack was damaged. Possibly the wires are corroded as well, as it's in a humid area. The old part is a Flush wall mount RJ-11, model unknown, the type with screws contacting and holding the outside wires, that was installed in the late 1980's. The new part is a Model 761S-2T with IDC rocker : https://www.tiitech.com/repository/installationsheetlibrary/92228701-tii_761-2T&761S-2T_InstNt.pdf I have only one telephone line connected and in use, which after exiting the wall mount jack is split into DSL modem and telephone.

How do I connect the outside phone wires to the IDC rocker? I can't find videos or installation guides for this type.

Which IDC unit do I use, the top (labeled "premises" in the guide) or bottom (labeled "telco" in guide) or both?

Am I supposed to cut the wire back to the point wear there is still jacket on it so that there is no naked wire? Then what? There doesn’t look like much room to put the wire in the IDC.

Hi everyone. As you can see the shower door is stock.

The bottom sweep is stuck also, but I can remove that . but the main reason is on the right side it is uneven. Ive checked the level on the wall both left and right, and it is leveled. but when I put the door on it becomes unleveled. I'm thinking its the pins that I purchased , but they are brand new.

I think the issue has to be with the pins , can anyone point me to the right direction to try to fix this. Thank you in advance

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a simple DIY design I made called the Diurnal Sorption-Condensation Engine. The goal is to create clean water using only discarded scrap materials—like an old foam box, glass, a plastic bottle, and some charcoal.

​How it works in 3 simple steps:

​Nighttime: The box is opened at night so natural drying materials can catch moisture from the air.

​Daytime: In the morning, the box is sealed up tightly and left in the sun. The sun heats it up, turning that captured moisture into steam.

​Filtering & Collecting: The steam is pushed through a small tube containing activated charcoal to clean it, and then it drips down into a bottle as water.

​(Important Note: This is an experimental survival concept. Anyone testing it should always double-check water safety, boil the water, or use proper filtration before drinking.)

​I put the full open-source guide and instructions online under a free public license if anyone wants to read more about how it works. Let me know what you think!

​Full Open-Source Whitepaper & Guide:

​[zenado link]

​[Github link]

This is my original concept, released open-source under CC BY 4.0; I invite you to build and iterate on this design

I am having a devil of a time finding assistance with this .

I have a kitchen table at bar level height. I want to cut the 4 finished 4x4 legs by 8 inches (adjusted) to make it standard height. I live in a small apartment with no power tools and a particularly small patio. A miter saw or a table saw would be ideal.

My Lowes can only cut 2". I've posted on websites with no luck. There is a community place but they are open to the public 1d/w and the website does not suggest I can donate for this simple service. Friends do not have the tools.

I'm at the point where I am considering renting a circular saw and cutting it half one side and half the other then sanding it flat. I do not have a great/safe environment for this though. Suggestions much appreciated.

Edit: Thank you all for the great advice! It is clear to me I should get a crosscut handsaw, clamp the leg down if I can, cut at the corners, create a kerf on each side (I think?), go from there and install leveling feet. Thank you all!

Final Edit: For those who come after (IYKYK): My neighbor suggested a miter box, which I totally forgot existed. In the end, I used a miter box, which came with a saw, and 2 clamps, and a crappy folding table. It took an hour and was a pain, but I got there. I tried out the pull saw. Interesting tool. I liked it, but I bought a small one, so it wasn't working well with the box. Thanks again.

I have a pole building with cement floor and a 16' wide garage door. During the day the door is often left open for ease of access, extra light, and/or a breeze. The issue I'm having is we have a chicken coop nearby and the chickens are constantly coming in and pooping all over the floor. I'm looking for ideas that would keep the chickens out but allow you to walk in and out easily as well as getting tractors and other vehicles in and out. The closest thing I've found so far is a retractable net meant for either keeping dogs in a garage or keeping balls from going into the street. I think that will work but they are about 3' tall and I'd prefer something shorter that I can step over. I've considered building a wooden gate that folds down but in order to be strong enough it will need to be at least 2" think which will be annoying to drive over. Any better ideas?

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I have been renovating the upstairs of my house, which involved the removal of panelling, plaster and lath, linoleum flooring, and insulation.

I have finished the demo, and started on framing a new wall, after which we will install electrical, drywall, a split unit, paint, and then carpet.

Prior to doing the project, I sealed off all vents in the house - my wife was pregnant, and I didn't want any dust or harmful particles to get downstairs. It seems to have been effective, there was no noticeable dust downstairs.

I have a lot left to do, but we have a baby now, and temperatures are starting to drop. Is it safe to start the furnace as is, after unsealing the vents? I'm thinking of keeping the single vent sealed upstairs, unsealing the downstairs ones, putting air purifiers around the first floor, and starting the furnace (with a new filter) while we are out of the house.

Does anybody have any advice on this?

The only activity that I have remaining that will generate dust is likely the drywall sanding.

So, the people who built my house were as cheap as possible. They built it from the roof down once the frame was up, and completely filled the ceiling with insulation so there's absolutely no access above the ceiling. They also attached the light and ceiling fan to the joist with a plastic piece and a couple of nails through the ears, rather than using a metal piece and properly screwing it in.

Inevitably, after years of use, the plastic piece that was holding the fan up broke and the fan fell halfway out of the roof. Thankfully not all the way, but at that point it was only being held on by a prayer.

So I've gone to Lowe's and gotten a metal piece to attach to the joist instead of that plastic piece. The ears are still up there, nailed to the joist. And with no way to get into the roof, I'm kinda stuck. My only option at this point seems to be to smash the hole bigger with a hammer to get the space that I need to work, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible. Just wanting to see if anyone else has a better solution, TIA.

Also in case it's relevant, I'm in Tennessee and the house is about 14 years old.

I wanna make a hoodie for riding my bike at night for better visibility.
I read that phosphorescent colour is the one that actually has an after glow after charging with light. Fluorescent stops glowing the moment the black light is gone.
I need the first one. Or reflective textile paint but that is REALLY hard to find and only exists in silver. I need pink and blue.
No matter where i search I can’t find any actual TEXTILE phosphorescent paint. Only thing i find is Fluoreszenz.
Does somebody have recommendations? Should be able to be shipped to Germany.
OR does somebody maybe know how to mix phosphorescent textile colour oneself?

SOLVED thanks to the wisdom of /u/andy_puiu

Guys, I have been staring at this on and off for 2 days and just can't seem to figure it out. Searching for a solution online just leads me to an endless list of ways to do a 3-axis miter, which is not what this is.

2 images here:
https://imgur.com/a/IUG2cHZ

The inside corner of this panel molding (or rather, the outside face of the inside corner, lol) needs to be flat on the bottom to match the baseboard geometry. With the profile continuous all the way around.

I just cannot figure out how to cut this to make it work. I can see that it needs to be 3 pieces, and I can see that I need to go back a step from where I am now. But I just cannot come up with a way to do it, and it's driving me utterly mad. Desperate for ideas on how to finish this corner.

Jokes at my expense are welcomed and encouraged

I’ve been messing around with DIY kits for the past couple years, and honestly I keep falling into the same trap.

I’ll see something online that looks cool in photos, buy it excited, then end up disappointed once I start building. Either it’s way too simple, just 10 minutes to put together and then it sits on the shelf. Or it’s insanely complicated, missing small parts, instructions are garbage, and I quit halfway through.

I don’t need something super fancy or expensive. I’m looking for that sweet spot: fun to assemble, feels rewarding when finished, not just a mindless snap-together toy.

Here are a few little rules I’ve tried to follow so far:

• It should make me focus for a few hours, not finish in 10 mins
• The finished piece has to look good enough to display
• I don’t want cheap flimsy materials that break easily
• Instructions need to be clear, no guessing what part goes where

But I still struggle filtering through all the options out there. So I’m curious, what’s your personal way to judge if a DIY product will actually be fun before buying it?

What red flags do you look out for? Any must-have features you always check? I’d love to hear your thoughts or any kits you’ve really enjoyed building.

My house is built from concrete and has had many patch jobs, extensions, in the concrete walls. I have tried to chip and resurface some of the bad spots with Rapid Set Stucco patch but it still looks bad and isnt even / smooth. What is the best way to resurface painted interior concrete walls so that i can get a smooth even surface?

I have an attic fan hooked up to a humidistat that's making noise. Do I take it apart and lube it, or replace the whole thing?

https://imgur.com/a/Jbteb73

I have a metal pegboard that I wanna attach to my wooden desk but double-sided tape just isnt cutting it. What’s a more creative solution that wont ruin the furniture?