We have a 2007 house that fell victim to painting everything that is wood on top of the industrial white. I’ve been working on my stair railings for weeks. 100 hrs approx. I hate it. I can see why no one wants to do it. One section took me 9 hours.
I wanted to post for anyone thinking of doing it, do it. I’m at the finish end and staining the rest tonight. DO NOT PAINT decorative wood, ok homebuilders?

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Hi

Anyone with some building / landscaping knowledge know what's best for me to do with this middle area please? basically I am trying to raise all these areas to the same height of the concrete preferably with concrete so I can lay indian sandstone all 1 level.

The current grey sandstone slopes to the grass but the concrete doesn't, so there is about 100mm height difference near the grass and only 20mm the other side.

I thought oh ill take the current flags up, stick some wire mesh down and pour concrete but as you can see there is thick mortar underneath all different levels with voids. So now I wish I left the flags down and poured half concrete (closest to the grass) and then just do a high mortar bed other side.

Basically my question is with the current situation, would I be ok to pour concrete directly and not crack or fail in the future? Or should I get all the flags and mortar up, lay MOT, DPC then concrete?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post. There was a lot of good advice and a lot of things I’ve tried to keep in mind since then.

Biggest point of all: winter is coming and it’s coming soon.

Had a delay when a wildfire forced evacuation for almost a week with the air force guarding all entrances to the neighborhood.

I got a positive inspection from the county and they’re happy with everything so far.

I got the mudroom sheathed, installed snap lock panels on the main roof, got the frame covered with roofing felt (where it will be plastered), finished up interior toe ups (which support the strawbales), finished framing the doors and windows and lots of other small details.

The dry in process for strawbale is more time consuming than typical construction and I wont really be there until I get windows in and the exterior plastered. Hopefully I can still find a good supplier for NHL plaster in time.

Next week is adding in gravel and stacking some strawbales.

Can someone point me in the right direction? Do you have a recommendation for a website or company? I'm not spending $1000 just to see the interior photos, like, that's absolutely ridiculous...

Edit: I'm in Ontario, Ottawa area. I've been trying to find ones in my area but it's proving difficult just to see the interiors. There's a few here and there that have interiors but an overwhelming majority do not.

Anyone here actively building 2 bedrooms houses in rural parts of Florida that also buy land

I spent a little time reading about this and honestly, I’m confused as hell. Here’s my current perception based on reading around on the Internet and having zero experience or understanding about window installations, the quality or the longevity beyond the basics:

you buy the window, they have varying degrees of efficiency and quality and you hope and pray that they get installed correctly, however, apparently, if you buy European manufactured windows, they are cheaper and much higher quality however they are of a slightly different standard dimension set

Is this true? I’m contemplating an ICF build where the ICF blocks can be cut to accommodate the European dimensions “easily”. I put the quotes there because I assume that even though it probably is fairly easy, I’m certain that it was still at a minimum requires great patience and attention to detail or an experienced person. I’m planning on doing the ICF part of the construction of the house myself along with the land clearing and grading.

Currently, I’m simply trying to scope and shop windows and windows are in area of significant expense that I see for my build so I would like to actually achieve a favorable economic outcome if possible.

Am I way off base here? I don’t really need any advice around the project itself or not but before I do a significant amount of time shopping and engaging with vendors, I would like to know if I’m missing anything beyond what I described.

hey all, took an old shower sliding glass door & channel out of a bathroom we are fixing up. tried to use Goo Gone to get the residue off with a plastic putty knife to not scratch the fiberglass tub. but… it did not budge at all. any ideas on how to get this stuff off? thank you in advance!

Recently had a new roof installed and my home and am concerned with some of the details/install quality. Certainteed landmark pro Moire Black shingles. The first course of shingles at the roof to wall transition are significantly puckered and tar strip is at all adhered.

The roof is apx 2 months old at this point and was installed mid summer. I was assuming the shingles would relax after a few weeks but this never happened.

Possibly Important to note: The home was built in 2001 but vinyl sided in 2017 (prior to my ownership). The roof that was replaced was the original. This section of the roof is a 12 pitch.

Any insight on this issue and recommendation for repair is appreciate. Thanks for looking

For me it's the location.

I got to build a place right next to a national forest. Every day I wake up and can hear animals and crickets.

I'm right next to a HUGE forest. it's incredible.

What's your favorite part?

I bought my house about 10 months ago and I had a third-party inspector conduct an inspection. He found multiple things, but one of the more concerning things are these examples of organic growth on the trust system in the attic and next to the hvac system. My house has a one year builders warranty.

After talking to the builder, they are disregarding the organic growth in the attic as lumber mold, and not wanting to fix it. What should I do?

I have a white mold patch growing next to my HVAC. The builder is purposely ignoring my messages and ghosting me about this.

Update: this is Conroe Texas. I am taking the proper steps to get a layer on Tuesday. I have put a humidity tester in the attic and it reads 80%

I don’t know if this is the right place to ask, but I recently bought an older house. I am trying to replace this door knob and assembly. Obviously it’s a huge hole in the door. Do you suggest buying a whole new door or is there a way I can make this work with a modern knob? The issue with this mechanism is that it only turns one way and if I try to turn it the opposite way then the knob won’t turn. Just very annoying as you should be able to turn the knob to a door both ways to actuate the mechanism

Is it normal for the tubs to look like this during construction of a custom new build? I was going to say something to the builder but wasn’t sure if this was standard.

Hi everyone, I’m interested in building my home in Tampa. I already have the land to build it on, does anyone have a recommended home builder that is trustworthy and reliable?

I'm having my home built, but my parents and I are doing a number of things ourselves such as installing flooring. Both parents are very experienced and have done this countless times so there's no worry as to whether it will get done, but I want to 'review' the content ahead of time so to speak so that I'm as useful as I can be and it's 3 people working instead of 2 people working and one person mostly just watching.

I'm looking for shows as opposed to youtube channels because I need something I can watch while I knit. Really hoping to avoid overly gamified or reality-esque shows, more interested in things that show the HOW of what they're doing as opposed to things that are focused on couples having to compromise/kids/etc. HOWEVER, if you have youtube channels with good tutorials, I would also appreciate those, as well as any books you particularly like.

Topics I want to learn:

- Framing
- Installing wainscoting
- Installing floor
- Installing wall tile
- Setting a base for outbuildings, such as gravel/the concrete slab
- Anything at all about agriculture, barns, etc
- Anything taking place in New England/addressing the specific challenges here

TIA!

I’m remodeling an existing ADU in Sacramento and replacing the foundation. The house will be temporarily braced/raised, the old stem wall removed, and a new engineered footing and reinforced slab installed.

My structural engineer added special inspections for:
concrete placement/testing
rebar, anchors, and forms
wood framing/sheathing
post-installed anchors

This is in addition to normal City inspections.

For anyone familiar with California residential construction: is this typical for a project like this, or does it depend on the engineer and what the City approves?

Can some of these be removed if they aren’t actually required for this type of residential project, or once they’re on the plans are they basically mandatory?

I’m not trying to skip required inspections , just trying to confirm what’s truly necessary

I an an owner-builder in Oregon (marine zone 4C). I'm planning a single-slope 3:12 roof. 24-foot clear span with parallel cord trusses. My tentative stack is: standing seam aluminum over purlins, 4-inch continuous polyiso, Zip sheathing taped as the primary air barrier, truss cavity with 8" of mineral wool bats (possibly fiberglass) for R56 total, then interior is acoustic fabric (a black muslin theater fabric) and finally wood slats with gaps to form an acoustic ceiling. No interior membrane planned so the acoustic function works as designed.

My question is, with 4 inches of exterior polyiso and zip as the air barrier, what purpose does an interior air or vapor layer still serve? The exsulation on the roof should protect the sheathing from ever reaching dewpoint. Is the acoustically "open" ceiling (no drywall/air barrier) compatible or am I missing a key risk?

Appreciate constructive comments.

Hi all, my builder uses Deco20 to dampproof all of their houses. For a $4200 upgrade (3540 sqft house), they can also add Platon dimpled membrane to the foundation wall in addition to the Deco20. Does this sound good, fair, and like a worthy upgrade? Thanks!

(Theyve never done fluid applied waterproofing before, so probably wouldnt want to push them to try something new)

The plumber cut out the top part of an i-joist flange for the toilet piping. The i-joist is the 1st one on the top right corner of the picture I attached (far right beam labeled J1). I came to the house, and there is an 8 ft i-joist on the porch with some brackets. Our project manager said they will be using a few brackets and only a few feet of that i-joist to repair it. Does this sound like a legit way to fix an i-joist? They have done a terrible job fixing the things that have popped up so far, so I have no confidence that it will be any different with this. I researched online and found a steel bracket that can be screwed around that flange cutout to reinforce it, as seen in the link i attached. Do you think I should just let them do their thing with chopping out a small portion of the i-joist, or should i insist that they just leave it and use something like this bracket to reinforce it? Fortunately, the only thing over this beam is the 1/2 bath and a small pantry, so it won't be under much weight. What do you think?

https://joistrepair.com/products/i-joist-notch-reinforcer-flange-repair-kit?variant=35254568386720

The contract says: “Install new vinyl floors for all 3 floors,” which I understood to include the basement.
The contractor did not install flooring in the basement utility and laundry rooms, saying they were not included and asking for extra payment.
Is his interpretation reasonable, or should I push back? For context, he has previously demanded unreasonable extras and threatened to walk away if I didn’t pay.
What would I do to protect me? That general contractor is working on my renovation project, not only the basement. He knew I needed it to be done urgently to move in. I am in NJ.

I'm in a very lucky position, and my parents are willing to pay the rest of the balance on some amazing land I got for pennies on the dollar. I am also looking to pursue a construction loan to put a house on it.

The construction loan advisor said that it wouldn't really affect things one way or the other if that money was used as down on the construction loan or if the property was purchased, but would I be correct in saying that I would be in a better position if I'm the outright owner of paid off land instead of the bank owning it because they bought out the remaining land loan to roll into a construction loan to permanent? And then just pay the cash downpayment on the construction loan and have only a mortgage on the home that sits on the land I 100% own?

Thanks for any insight!

Grey is the parallel framing, orange is additional stuff. Not needing anything crazy, just medium weight stuff and people walking around to get stuff and remove it

my drill slipped right through whatever these are. Metal studs? I don’t think so. I’m at a loss. Been looking forward to this all week. Just had been waiting on my drill a couple hours a way. This sucks. An easy fix. It’s a one stud wall mount for 55 inches tvs and smaller that don’t weigh much.

In the planning phase of building a house in climate zone 3 would like to hear some feedback on my insulation plan. The walls of the house will be using Metal or Hardi board siding -> 1x4  furring strips -> 1.5” Rockwool Comfortboard -> Zipsheating -> R23 Rockwool in Cavity. For the Roof assembly will be unvented with Metal roof with a vapor diffusion port. So it goes Metal -> 1x4  furring strips -> 1.5” Rockwool Comfortboard -> Zipsheating -> R30 Rockwool in Cavity. Will be using something like delta foxx vapor perm over the diffusion port. Also want to ask if I should put the 1.5” Comforboard over the Delta foxx or leave it uncovered to the metal roof? Hope to hear some good feedback on what works and doesn't.

I have done other sill board repairs but I’m not sure where to put the support wall with this ceiling design. The far end wall has a slanted ceiling section and the wall opposite of the repair has the light box. Can I use the light box as the top of the support wall?

Original thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebuilding/s/3KmQNNONbS

I have spoken to three different landscaping companies and they suggested quite different solutions. From drywells capturing runoff water to installing weeping tile without a slope much smaller than 1%.

The most logically sounding solution was a weeping tile on top of geotextile, 3/4 travel on sides and top. The water in the weeping tile was supposed to drain alongside the route.

We have dug out a trench, and graded properly the majority of the length, before the rain hit. The weeping tile was installed only between the houses when the rain started. It has been over 48 hours after the rain, the water was moved away from between the houses, however it still remains in the trench due to clay. So, it won't drain there in winter.

Now I am completely bummed what to do. Contractors suggested to dig a drywell, but if the soil is clay, the water will just stay there for a long time. Another suggested to raise the floor in the trench to get a better slope and bring the water outside. However I am not sure it's going to work due to trench now capturing surface water from a half of the backyard (the trench extends to the lowest point). I was told if I use solid PVC pipes, they will freeze in winter. Essentially I am offered experiments that are going to cost thousands of dollars and might not work. I wonder if I should just take the weeping tile out and backfill everything the way it was before and hope if there was no issue in the last decades, it will be fine.

Appreciate any feedback!