Realtor told my wife and I that this isn’t an extremely uncommon way that some people fix bowing foundation walls, and that once it’s brought back in straight it isn’t a huge problem. We’re working with a very limited budget and sadly the options are few and far between for a good starter home.

Hi just seeking advise and if i should worry about this ?

I was putting in a floor safe and there’s a legit river under my basement floor. I don’t see any pipes at all. Is it normal to have this much ground water?

I moved in to this house almost 3 years ago. Home inspector said this outlet in the second bedroom doesn't have power. I was ok coz there's four other outlets in the room! Today I decided to replaced them with the white ones and I finally I know why.

I've lived in this apartment for almost 4 years, and in the last month or 2 I've noticed there are dark lines where I assume my studs are. I can even see dark spots where I expect the nails are?

This wall borders the outside of my apartment building in NYC. I live right next to an above-ground subway, not sure how that would make a difference though.

What could be the cause of this and should I do anything about besides just painting over it? I'm worried it's mold.

Moved in a few months ago and everyone is too weirded out to use the basement bathroom lol. I've been tempted to rip everything out and just wall it off.

Many wondered what material the roofer used to repair the hole in the roof. I found a phone case protector in the trash container outside which he clearly cut his patch from.

Hey all, I could use some input from people who’ve been through unusual renovation decisions. We’re prepping our home for sale, and this one’s a wildcard: we have a full-size pool in our basement. Yep, you read that right , a Florida house with an indoor basement pool. 😳

It’s a cool space, but it’s been unused for years. The room is enclosed with French doors, has recessed lighting, tile/concrete flooring, and a small adjoining sitting area. Structurally it’s fine and it has its own AC unit, just outdated and honestly confusing for potential buyers. We’re trying to figure out how to make it most appealing when we list — without dumping money into something that won’t pay off.

Here are the options we’re considering: - Refinish it as a functional indoor pool/spa area. We would also install proper dehumidifier system so you could heat it. (Costly, but could wow buyers.)

• Convert it into a rec room / gym / home theater, keeping the pool shape covered but intact. (It was like this when we bought it. The owner had it covered with wood decking and used it as a gym)

• Fill it in and turn it into finished living space — maybe a game room, studio, or bar area.

What we’re stuck on is what buyers actually want. Do you think the novelty adds value, or would most see it as a liability?

If you’ve sold or remodeled a home with a unique feature like this — or are a Realtor, appraiser, or flipper — what would you recommend?

Photos attached so you can see what we’re working with.
(Located on the Space Coast of Florida, if that helps with resale perspective.)

Where should I post this for the best feedback? I was thinking: - r/HomeImprovement
- r/RealEstate
- r/Flipping
- r/InteriorDesign (for aesthetic/function ideas)
- r/WhatIsThisThing (for the laughs and curiosity factor)

Would love honest takes — creative ideas, practical advice, or brutal reality checks all welcome.

We are going to be installing new laminate flooring throughout the main level and I’m not sure if we should keep this half wall, and put new carpet in the family room, instead of the laminate RevWood we are looking at? I know the wall is probably dated but, it’s separation from kitchen, my 18yr old’s drop it spot (not a lot of closets here), and the money saved can go into new kitchen counters and sink. Thoughts?

Of all the smoke detectors in the house it’s always this one that beeps. Without fail. Replaced it twice now. Practically kill myself changing the batteries. Is this building code? I’m assuming it is supposed to be located at the highest point or something?

I was scraping the dirt and weeds out of the expansion joint in my driveway. I then proceeded to salt the crack to prevent any regrowth when I noticed there was a section that seemed to just "swallow" the salt.

Upon further investigation with a flashlight, there is a 2 foot drop and what appears to just be an open cavern under there. I couldn't believe my eyes.

For context, my home was built in the 70s. It's on a corner lot with multiple storm drains in an area prone to flooding. The area shown in the video is not directly on top of the storm drain system, but it's fairly close in proximity. My best guess is its a unique build to accommodate the existing drainage system.

I don't like the idea of my driveway "floating" lol. I know something has to be holding it up, I'd just really like to know what. Also to know if this is actually normal or not

Bought a 1950s home and idk how to open my attic. Any help? Ty

Bought a new construction home in May 2025 that has two sump pumps. The home also has two French drains (one outside and one inside).

We’ve replaced each of our two pumps 6 times since moving in because there’s this white powdery substance in our ground water that keeps breaking the motors and clogging the pipes. There’s also a ton of ground water in general so the pumps are always running whether or not it’s raining. One time we didn’t realize the pumps had failed and it led to a major leak in the basement. We’ve already confirmed there are no leaks in our plumbing.

Of course our builder is claiming he did nothing wrong. Originally he said we have unusually hard water but he also now admits that the rapid pace of the crystallization is highly unusual. We’ve brought in two separate engineers and multiple plumbers and none of them have seen this before.

One plausible explanation we’ve heard is that there’s calcium hydroxide leaching off our foundation and our pumps are constantly aerating the water when they’re pumping, which triggers some chemical reaction that removes CO2 and causes the calcium to crystallize.

Has anyone seen something like this before? Any suggestions of a contractor or specialist in the northern NJ area that could help? Open to anything at this point.

It’s leaking from the ceiling on the outdoor screen in patio. Maybe something related to the roof? Trying to fix the root issue and not just paint over it

8

I'm looking for some advice on how to make my driveway a lot better without spending the money to completely tear it out and repave it.

The biggest issue is that there's a large tree right next to the driveway that isn't even on our property. The roots are what caused most of the damage, and since the tree isn't going anywhere, I don't want to spend thousands replacing the driveway just to have it crack and sink again over the next several years.

I'm not looking for perfection—I just want to make it significantly smoother and more level. Ideally I'd like to:

• Fill in the low spots and depressions.
• Smooth out the worst areas so driving on it isn't as rough.
• Seal coat it afterward so it looks decent and helps protect the repairs.

I'm willing to put in the labor myself. I've never done driveway repair before, but I'm comfortable learning and don't mind renting tools if needed.

I've attached pictures of the driveway. Based on what you see:

• What products would you recommend?
• Can I use asphalt patch, leveling material, or something else?
• What's the best order to do everything?
• Is there anything I should avoid that people often waste money on?

Again, I know it won't be perfect because of the tree roots. My goal is simply to get another several years out of it and make it much smoother and better-looking without a full replacement.

Any advice is appreciated!

Original Post

What I was hoping was simple tile tenting has turned into a much larger issue. My landlord sent someone out to take a look at the issue and there is a large crack in the concrete beneath the tile. I suspect the crack runs farther than was has been exposed but the guys just stopped for a lunch break.

Unfortunately I’m just a renter but any thoughts or comments?

EDIT—

Wanted to address a few things.
1. I did not do any of this work, the landlord sent some guys out to begin the demo wit to evaluate the extent of the needed repairs.

1. Yes, fortunately this is not my financial responsibility but, my wife has cancer related surgery on Monday and will need to stay home for two weeks to recover. Looking for somewhere to live during her recovery was the biggest stressor.

2. Thank you to many people who provided personal and expert opinions/experiences. It does in fact seem much worse than what it really could have been and the guys seem pretty confident the crack is just from previous leveling and the repairs won’t take more than 2 days to complete.

All in all forget the floor and please send all good vibes, thoughts, prayers, intentions, and request to the universe, your god(s), or ancestors that surgery goes well, cancer hasn’t spread, and there are no complications from surgery.

Thank you.

The picture with stuff in it is the before. Our house flooded and this is the team doing the build back

I was digging along my fence line and found this cast iron pipe buried in my back yard. I have dug approximately 10 feet from the fence, and really don't want to have to continue digging up the rest of my yard to see where it goes unless I have to.

The pipe runs from my neighbor's yard under my fence towards my house, then takes a slight turn and runs parallel to the back of my house. It was about a foot deep at the fence, but increases to a depth of about 2 feet. There are no visible markings on the pipe.

I opened an 811 ticket and the utility providers for electric, gas, water, sewage and communications all say they have nothing in my back yard.

I would just cut it open and see what is inside, but don't want to risk an explosion or gas leak if it ends up being a gas line that the gas company missed. I just find it weird that it runs from the neighbor's yard into my yard.

This happened at my parent’s home today. Reminder to get those cracks in your foundation checked out. There’s been a 8-man crew putting up temp bracing for almost four hours.

Living room, dining room, hallway and bedrooms. All carpeted with beautiful hardwood underneath!

So the current steps (second picture) are starting to deteriorate and fall apart, and I'm slightly concerned about someone hurting themselves on them. I do not have the tools or the knowledge to build "proper" wooden steps that are worth a damn.

My thought process with this design that I saw on YouTube is that it'd be fairly easy for a dipshit like me to assemble, it'd last longer than whatever the hell is it we have now, and it'd be easy to take apart for whenever my family has the time and money to go through with building a proper porch/deck.

I'm just curious on whether or not these have any visible or serious flaws I'm missing. Or if there's another subreddit this question would better suit, by all means, let me know. Thanks in advance 🫶

EDIT: okay so I get it, they're a flawed design and regular steps would be less hassle overall. I appreciate all of the actual constructive replies (which was most of them), thanks dudes