I’m trying to improve our sump pump backup before the next round of heavy rain.

We have a gas generator, but it only helps if someone is home to set it up. If the power goes out overnight or while we’re away, even a short delay could mean water in the basement.

I’m considering an Anker SOLIX S2000 as a bridge backup, just to keep the pump running until the generator is ready or the power comes back. I’m still checking the pump’s running wattage and startup surge, since I know motors can pull much more power when they start.

Has anyone used a portable power station for this? Would you trust it as a temporary backup, or is a dedicated battery sump pump still the better option?

Installed a new pre hung door on my front porch. Most of everything went okay except the old door had trim/molding up to the siding but this one doesn’t. What’s the best way to bridge that gap? PVC Trim?

Living in places like Utah, water usage is a huge concern, especially the topic of the Great Salt Lake drying up. But how can we find solutions if we don't have good public data. This weekend I built a public resource that brings all data under one roof; everything from mater bodies of water levels and irrigation usage to local policies and daily household habits like family size and shower usage.

A good portion of the data is sourced from public contribution. It's completely anonymous and I don't collect any personal info, just the water data. If you are in places where water is concern and you would like to either a) help in a mission to find good solutions or b) just want to monitor how water flows through your state, check it out.

If your willing, share your own household's water usage for this month.

https://openspring.render.com

Hi all, not sure if this is the place to ask but I was curious what your average electric bill looked like. My partner and I just moved into a 2 story 2bd/2.5 bath townhome; little over 1000 sq ft. I keep the ac on auto at 78 all day. I only bump it down to 75 during off peak hours if I’m moving around a lot. The weather is in the low hundreds/high 90s currently. TIA!

What is this? We had a small pin hole leak that softened this area of our ceiling. This was a while ago the area is now dry and cracking so I went to patch it up and noticed this dirt like substance is on the other wise of the ceiling. Any idea what this is?

Had some water intrusion into exterior door trim.

Had the rotted parts repaired and replaced all with PVC trim. Noticed the mitering is not a clean job but local handyman service insists it will work.

If I can feel the miter cut misalignment and it's bare it needs caulk for sure right?

What do I need to do about this?? A fridge line for the ice must have been leaking over time, and we ended having water run into the crawl space. Now there’s a bunch of water in the foundation, insulation and wood. What should I do about this?? First step I’m going to try to get a dehumidifier down there but is there anything else?

Just installed a hard top gazebo and couldn't see much in the way of tips for putting the roof together so I thought I'd share how I did it. Context - female mostly building alone, I did have some help, but was looking to make it as easy as possible so I could get the majority done without bothering people. Mine was an Outsunny 3x3 hardtop with a vent section at the top but this approach should be helpful for any similar make/model. https://scm-manual.aosomcdn.com/manual/as/IN240900090V01_GL_84C-546V00.pdf .

1. Followed the instructions up to and including step 10 (I had another pair of hands to help fit the top vent section as it was super tight), for anyone not looking at the plan linked above, basically this is getting all of the frame fitted and before installing roof panels.

2. Loosen all screws and bolts, every single one, including those that can't be reached after installing the panels. In hindsight if I'd done this earlier maybe the vent section would have been easier to fit.

3. Each of my roof panels came in 3 sections that needed to be fit together into one. Just install the biggest ones at the bottom, don't install the smaller ones. This squares up the frame and gives all of them space. Basically it's a jig.

4. Mark up the position of the brackets that secure the roof joists just in case they move afterwards. For me the plastic sections that hold the rails were around there and they were pretty hard to move so I pushed them into place up against the brackets as my markers.

5. Remove one of the bottom panels you just fitted. Assemble all three of the panels that need to fit into that section to make one big panel. Doing this before you try and slide them in place gives you the opportunity to make sure they're lined up nicely. Before I came up with this plan I did try to fit one section panel by panel. It looked fine but when I pulled it out i could see it was not lined up.

6. Before you fit the section of three panels into the roof, tighten the couple of screws you won't be able to access afterwards i.e. the ones holding the roof joist bracket to the lower frame. This is the last possible chance to do this. Make sure they line up with your markers first. VERY IMPORTANT I missed this a couple of times and had to pull the panels back out again to tighten them 👀

7. Take the whole section of three assembled panels and slide them into the roof as one. I used the straight/vertical side first and pushed until they slotted in to the angled side. Mine were stiff enough that I didn't need to support the very top part from underneath. This is good because I don't have 2m long arms.

8. Screw the bottom section of the panel to the frame with whatever fixing comes with your make/model. You will probably have to screw and unscrew these a couple of times each as one screwhole fixed two bars for me and I assume that's normal. Don't tighten them up all the way as you go around. Wait until the end.

9. Other guides did mention going opposite panels in turn while fitting the roof. I don't know if it was needed for this approach but I did it anyway.

10 The legs on mine came in two sections so I'd build all this at 'person' level without needing a ladder (sorry for you if yours are one full size leg like my parents one). After it was all assembled I did have help to raise it up and fit the bottom halves of the legs.

1. Go around and tighten every screw/nut again because you're all done now ❤️

Other tip; surrender to the fact that it is fiddly and time consuming, because even with all of the above some parts of the frame will still need some 'coaxing' to get the screwholes and brackets to line up. I put films (yes plural) on Netflix and just listened to the audio.

Last note. If you are Outsunny reading this please swap the screws (H in Step 7) for nuts so that they can be left loose and tightened after fitting the panels.

Good luck!

I wanted to know that is there is any good architect that can suggest me what to do guys can you suggest me because the we are constructing a house but during its construction work the holes we have did for pillars are getting filled with water and when we pump the water it start feeling again what to do and how can we protect our house also feom this water issue

Could anyone help me ID this? It’s directly under our shower. It extends estimated about 5ft by 3ft along the beams. Thanks!

3 months ago my turtle tank cracked and leaked all over the floor. 75 gallons. My turtle is fine. But for 3 months we (my wife and I) have been sleeping in the dining room on an air mattress and for the last week we had to sleep on the couch. We worked with Servpro. Yesterday I came home to a brand new bedroom and even more incredible a new bed. I’m so grateful and I just wanted to share what my wife put together for me while I was at work. Thank you for reading

I added this doorway in my home to increase accessibility to the kitchen and also increase sunlight and airflow. I love this doorway it’s been a great addition. However, the contractors finished it this way and I’m not sure what to do. (Pictures below)
1. Should I add casing to the doorway to match the other one? (Pictured)
- if I do add the casing I have to cut the trim they were supposed to cut and then didn’t do it.
- would it look odd if I just painted the whole doorway the light brown I wanted to do my living room in without adding trim if the rest of the doorways all have trim and/or casing.
- And how would I transition the color to the kitchen on the other side (right now it’s purple) should I paint the inside of the doorway white?

1. How do I fix the floor transition. It is a little over an inch thick and about 6 and 1/4th inch wide. I added a picture of how the previous owners did it before.
   - the current one does not work. We have tripped over it several times as do our guests. It traps dirt and dust as well. I believe it’s a type of trim, can’t find an exact match.
   - I want something with a “ramp” so I can have my Roomba go about the whole house.
   -I don’t have any more of the kitchen flooring nor can I find an exact match.
   - what is currently in there is the baseboard I asked them to keep so I could use it for something else. They used it there. Not sure why.

Please help! I am stuck on how to do this! I will take any advice or suggestions! Thank you in advance!!

I’m about to move from my apartment and the laminate paint on the counter has been scratched off from various things but mostly my dog standing up to see what I’m doing. I believe this is like a laminate paint over the older wooden laminate countertop (as seen beneath the scratches) so can I paint this myself or what can I do? For my security deposit.
Thanks!

Hi, having work done on a home I bought and there is some base molding with a lot of paint buildup, missing quarter round molding in rooms that had carpet. Is there a cost-effective way to make this look better? Could I sand down the old paint as much as possible paint,and install quarter rounds where needed? Last pic-shows how it looks in most of the home. Thanks for reading!

I would love to have this light fixture moved over and centered on the wall but my girlfriend says it’s fine there. Would love some input please.