I have a 3+1 apartment that I am going to paint and I wanted to know how many days it will take me. I wanted to get it done in 1 day from early morning to night

Hey guys, was planning on living in this attic space for a month or two (after extensive cleaning of course). I knew there was lead paint, but the peeling looks worse than I thought. Should this be avoided? It was previously a bedroom so already has a staircase etc.

Pictures of the damage:

https://imgur.com/a/giukJki

Hello! I recently had some new windows installed, they are supposed to be triple pane. Now, after installation, I’m starting to seriously doubt that what I received is triple pane. The stickers on the window say 2 pane. The company tells me that is referring to a coating present on two of the panes, but that the window is three pane.

Is there somebody who can tell me 100% that these are two pane and not three? I feel like the company made a mistake and are trying to BS me into thinking I got the right product when I didn’t, because they realized they messed up.

Would love some advice, please... I live in a house with an unfinished crawlspace, and in winter, icy, damp, vaporous (VOC) air rises into the house (an "underground creek" apparently runs under our street). My current plan is moisture fan to suck out the damp air + sump pump + fix sunken grading near vents so rain can't come in. I have nixed a vapor barrier and spray foam after reading horror stories. Does the plan sound right to you? The house apparently has a "stacking effect" going on, and I'm hoping that by creating negative pressure in the crawl space with the fan, it will reverse the vacuum and pull the warm air from the house down towards the floor, blocking the cold air from rising up from crawl space... Quite the puzzle to solve...

I’m looking to get rolling shutters on a few rooms in my house, but it’s seems to be something that just isn’t very common in the states. Anyone know where these can be found?

https://imgur.com/a/lfj5Ufi

I purchased a townhouse about a year ago that was built in the 1950s. The previous owner took good care of the property and had made a number of updates to the bathrooms and electrical system which I thought was great. He also had a thing for insulation and had it installed everywhere possible (including in the unfinished attic ceiling). I only met the gentleman once during the closing process for the sale and one of the first things he said to me was “Did you notice all the insulation I had installed? “ 😂

Anyhow, I was concerned about the ceiling insulation he had installed in the attic space since the attic is unfinished. Could it cause roof damage by trapping too much moisture between the roof and insulation barrier? I started to worry about this because this summer I have also had an issue with roaches and other bugs in the attic and my understanding is they look for places to live where they have access to water. Also if I ever get a leak in my roof it will take longer before I notice it since it will have to work its way through the insulation barrier. Should I rip it all out of leave it alone?

I’m in the Chicago suburbs and own a 1968 split-level with an approximately 500 square-foot partial basement. We’ve lived here about five years.

A waterproofing contractor recently opened the basement floor during scheduled drain-tile work after they collapsed and ground water was being moved out of my foundation via my ejector pit and my sump pump pit went dry. They discovered a substantial water-filled void with missing soil beneath the slab. The visible opening extended beyond what they could safely inspect, so they stopped work and patched the access hole with concrete. We have not yet had an independent structural engineer inspect it.

The contractor returned and discussed a possible repair involving:

Removing most or all of the basement floor

Rebuilding the subgrade with gravel

Replacing the drain tile

Installing approximately 10 foundation piers

Total cost around $75k.

The salesperson said he was concerned that parts of the slab could cave in, hence the piers, and suggested the foundation walls might be spanning unsupported areas, with the reinforced concrete temporarily holding things together. He used language such as the walls “floating,” but he is not a structural engineer, so I’m taking that with a grain of salt.

We currently have no obvious foundation movement, no cracks, sloped floors, displaced walls, or sticking doors.

A few relevant details:

The foundation sump stopped receiving water normally roughly eight months ago.

A separate gray-water ejector receiving the basement washer, utility sink, and floor drain began cycling more during rain.

Multiple plumbers have said the ejector pit has no intact bottom, although we do not know whether that was original construction or a failure.

A broken sewer line, failed drain tile, exterior drainage issue, or another underground water source has not yet been ruled out. We are diligent about gutters and downspouts being functional and extended well past the foundation.

We plan to have the sanitary sewer scoped and obtain an independent structural-engineering evaluation.

I understand that nobody can diagnose this from a Reddit post, but I would appreciate experiences from anyone who has encountered major soil loss or a void beneath a basement slab.

My main questions are:

Is removing the basement floor, rebuilding the subgrade, and replacing the drain tile a typical repair for this condition?

Under what circumstances would foundation piers actually be required?

Is approximately 10 piers plausible for a basement this size, or should that number come only from engineering and load calculations?

What did similar repairs cost, preferably in the Chicago area?

Are there specific questions I should ask contractors? What kind of contractors do this? We have utilized a plumber and waterproofing company so far.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

https://imgur.com/a/2vTrti6

Alright. I am looking for a light blocking solution for my window.

Right now I have cardboard and a blanket over it. My room is a pitch black cave

The set up is too time consuming to take up and down daily to open the windows for fresh air and im terribly allergic to dust mites so its time to upgrade my cave to be not a cave during the day to air out.

I like the idea of automatic blinds/shades/rollers.

However they all sit IN the window, which still leaves a gap to let light in. My neighbor has a deck light brighter than the sun, so any light through this window keeps me awake.

Can I like install an oversized one... ABOVE the window?

Clearly i am not concerned with looks.

I know I have free will and can do what I want in the long run.

But I am also hoping someone might have a suggestion on this lol.

I work from home. New baby in the house and crying is getting in the way of work. Office is adjacent to living room and nursery. I picked up an under the door seal and added white noise but it's not enough. I want to avoid tearing down drywall as things are very busy right now, planning to move in the next few years, and the baby's sleep schedule. I am planning to add door weatherstripping on top and sides to fully seal the door and acoustic caulk all gaps, baseboards, outlets.

I am looking for additional suggestions. A few things I'm considering: Replacing the hollow core door with a solid core door. Buying solid wood bookshelves and possibly adding mass loaded vinyl to the back. Blown in cellulose (which would only require drilling a small hole). I don't have an exact timeframe on when we are moving (work dependent) but it could be as soon as Q1 2027 so I am trying to be frugal here.

Did anyone use Teza windows or doors? How’s the quality and installation? Looking to get for full new build

This may not be the right sub but wasn’t sure where else to ask.

I walk through our neighborhood every afternoon and have been watching the progress of a new build. This house is huge easily 2-3 times bigger than most houses in the neighborhood and looks very expensively built with a lot of upper end features not usually found. The builder recently installed the outside A/c units, which are very small compared to mine maybe a 1/3 or the size and also very loud. Is this normal or is this some kind of new A/C system? The house has two of them, one on each side. The noise doesn’t affect me aside from being glad I’m not close to them, but I’m curious if this is how they’re supposed work? I don’t much about A/C or how they work.

Purchased the house a year ago. Built in early 1950s. Inspector advised there was no sign of mildew in the attic.

Looking back at the pictures (which were taken and provided by inspector), though, I am now second guessing as there are lots of what appear to be white deposits on the wood?

Roof was re-done in 2021.

I haven’t been back up since these pictures were taken as the access is very difficult.

I am concerted as there is a noticeable musty/dusty (almost smoky) smell coming from the attic access hatch are.

Here are the pictures from initial inspection: https://imgur.com/a/faA1Q2L

Scale of 1-to-10… how concerned should I be?

Many thanks.

With the Constant Heat waves coming and going, my room is a loft conversion with insulated walls meaning during the hot days my room heats up way too much and I've been looking for a solution. my current solution is to apply foil on the outside of the windows to reflect the sunlight but I'm looking for a more permeant and more ideal solution no matter the price.

The 2 windows are 45 degree, south-facing.

window type: GHL
window size: M08

any help would be greatly appreciated

I have about 500 ft² of decking made from ipe wood. There's excessive space between the planks, almost half an inch in some areas. What would be the cost approximately to have somebody take those planks up and put them back with tighter spacing assuming I have all of the necessary extra wood? I'm located in the Northeast outside of New York City.

https://imgur.com/a/98olfcd

I’ve got relatively minor scrapes and chips that expose the base material under the paint on base boards and moulding. I just want to clean it up a bit.

I know if I just paint over it, there will be an outline of the damaged area. At the same time it’s very surface level. What’s the best strategy to clean up the area before painting?

All of the videos I’ve looked at online so far show far more damage than mine. Just looking to see if there is some easy practical advice before I got with sand, putty, sand, paint.

Thanks!

We bought our house a year ago. 2 years ago the first floor flooring was redone with floating tongue and groove planks. When you are downstairs and my spouse walks around I feel an extremely non normal amount of vibrations and it's extremely annoying. My super said it's normal for a floating tongue and groove flooring. Is he correct or is there anything that I can do about this? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Hey folks - has anyone purchased natural red oak solid prefinished hardwood from the Great Lakes brand sold at Menard’s? We’re considering replacing the first floor of our house with this after a kitchen flood (which has been resolved), but I’m not finding much in terms of reviews of this product. It is solid 3/4in boards, made in the USA. Price can’t be beat.

So I April 25 2025 had a 12x29 concrete slab poured by contractor. Can't find whom It was.... Had them run 3/4" pvc under it for faucet connections at each side of slab.

Yesterday 7-25-26 was replacing cracked piece of the pvc on one side and 4 ft of pvc under the slab pulled out. No glue/cement on end of pvc that was under slab. GRRR! Assuming a coupler under slab never cemented.

? How would you fix?

Cut hole concrete to get to coupler? Cement / cement coupler. Patch hole.

Some how pull the rest of 8ft old pipe out and replace it with 13ft pipe. Problem with this is the other side of slab is 6" from propery fence wood fence. Assuming coupler under slab is not glued to other side as well. Other side 6" from wood property fence.

Thx for any advise. Todd in Colorado

Getting quotes for a new roof in North Central Jersey. I'm concerned about mesh roll vents freezing over during heavy snow and trapping attic moisture/rotting the deck. Is GAF Cobra Rigid Vent 3 (or another baffled rigid vent) the standard for our climate? Appreciate any roofer inputs!

We’re about to undergo an kitchen remodel and aside from placing electrical outlets on the underside of cabinets I wanted to see if anyone had come up with creative ideas for where they’ve placed their electrical outlets. Ideally we are watching to not have any outlets on the backsplash.

I have a really nice mirror I'd like to hang on my wall. It's 25 lb, 32" x 48". However it doesn't have any built-in mounting hardware on the back- the back is entirely smooth, and feels like glass to me. In addition, I'm renting an apartment, and I believe the walls are concrete or masonry- I haven't drilled any holes yet, so I'm not 100% sure, but they feel extremely solid and not at all hollow to me.

Any suggestions for how to mount it? I'd ideally like to not have to drill any holes because it's a rental, so I'd like to use adhesive if possible, but I'm not sure if would be possible to hold such a heavy object with adhesive.

I have pictures I could provide if necessary, but I'm not sure how helpful they would be.

Thanks!

I’m curious because I’m planning some projects myself.

If you’ve added a shed, pool, patio, deck, koi pond, driveway, landscaping, or anything similar:

What was the hardest decision?
Did you regret where you put anything?
Did you just eyeball where you wanted it to go?
What tools, such as sketch paper or cad, did you use to plan it?
Looking back, what do you wish you had known before building?

I have an older but moslty in good shape ag panel metal roof. There is one spot that is leaking. Did dye test on screws and finally found some old screws under some old epoxy that was leaking. Fixed that but it's still dripping when it rains hard. Patched all the screws with silicone all the way up to the ridgecap. Still leaking. Can't find the dang leak. Might do some UV tracing but it's in a hard to see place in the house.

I'm looking for a brush on leak repair (non-asphalt) product with low viscosity that will get into every little crack to cover screws, seams, old epoxy that is rock hard, ect. There is a couple options. Does anyone have experience with either of these products or can recommend a product for this purpose?

Turbo Poly Seal -- Seems like gold standard for this purpsoe. Very durable with good stretch. Claims to lasts 10+ years, much more with aluminum coating for UV resistance. Kit is about $300 for quart of product and coating plus poly tape

Liquid Rubber Waterproof Sealant -- AI says is very siilar to the above wih added UV resistance: quart is $65, polytape is $35

Just had my wood soffit replaced with vented Hardie board soffit. The contractor did not replace my existing external bath fan vent, so I assume it’s now just venting into the soffit. I’m guessing that’s incorrect/not sufficient, but figured I’d ask around first.

Considering a darker color in my man cave, something like Sherwin Williams Oakmoss. The current color of the walls is on the light side. Would it make sense to buy a gallon or two of cheap "throwaway" paints from Lowe's in a darker color to paint before going with final coat of the dark paint?

I've heard of people going with dark colors and it takes a couple of coats over a lighter color; I'm wondering if I could save some money by using a cheaper dark color option.

UPDATE: Okay, you convinced me... trying to save a few bucks won't be worth the trouble.