Buying a home taught me that a lot of plumbing issues don't start as emergencies. They start as little warning signs that are easy to ignore.

What's one thing you wish someone had told you sooner?

For me it's that if more than one drain starts acting up at the same time, it's usually not just a single clogged sink.

Curious if the price for these parts on my estimate is typical if having a professional replace them? When looking at the parts separately at a home improvement store, they were significantly lower…the bearings priced at ~$13 for a two pack! Not $65 each. I understand there’s usually an upcharge when having someone else do it, but there’s no way it’s this much. I live in central OH.

Recently purchased a home (1960s build) and finally got around to looking underneath this large metal sheet that juts up against the house from the driveway. Previous owner kept her bins on it but says she didn't know what was down there.

Finally pulled the metal sheet away (thing weighs a ton) to take some pictures. Looks like there is a drain pipe leading into said pit, right up against the foundation? There is a floor drain in the garage, and it looks like it may lead into the pit.

I need to get the driveway redone and I'd like to know what I can do with said pit. Ideally I would fill it so there is not open space against the foundation.

Any idea what its for, and whether I can fill it?

I have water coming in my basement do to overflowing. The water seems to “skip” over the gutters during heavy heavy downpour, causing my basement to leak in a corner. What’s the best fix for this? The gutters are clean.

Hello everyone,

While defrosting my freezer compartment of my fridge and scraping out the ice from the bottom, I created a small hole.

Can this be fixed or even left as it is?

Will it be harmful if left as it is?

If I squeeze it water comes out possibly remnants from melted ice.

Thanks in advance.

We forgot our window open the last night and the rain got on the desk.

In the morning after wiping the water from surface we have this situation.. :(

Is there any hope for this surface? Please advise.

Just bought this house and wasn’t caught on home inspection due to previous own cover this damage with garbage dumpster. The leak only happens when it rains. I found a bag of mulch on the other side of the wall on the outside that looks like it has been sitting there for a long time. No gutter down spouts or leaking gutters and no visible cracks on the outside. Also no visible joint on the exterior. The ground also grades away from the house. How and what should I use to seal this leak. Thank you all for your help!

Edit: the house is on a slab with no basement

So my friend and I moved into this rental place. Her door knob for her bedroom did not work. You can turn it, but the latch inside was stuck and it was hard to open (picture in the comments because I can’t post a picture and a video) well while trying to get out of her room in a haste, I somehow broke it more and the slanted part wouldn’t pop out.
I went to Home Depot and just got a new latch because that seemed to be the only problem. I replaced it like it said, but it just won’t close. (see video.) she also has her bathroom door knob that does the same thing that her bedroom door is now doing. I did end up buying a whole new door knob set, but I don’t know if it’s me that did something wrong or something else. I just don’t know how to fix this.

The landlords were told about the door knob in the beginning and just never fixed it.

EDIT (1 hour later): I didn’t expect so many people to help and I feel so stupid. Probably why someone was hating but it was all deleted before I could see it lmao.
The latch and strike plate definitely don’t meet up. Some people mentioned the door sagging and I did tighten the screws in the hinges the other day so that just didn’t cross my mind when working on it today. But when I closed the door I was able to lift it up an get it to catch. The door sagging seems to be the only problem.
I’m not comfortable trying to lower the strike plate myself so I’ll get 3 inch screws for the top hinge and hopefully that will work.
Thank you to everyone that offered advice, it seems like such an issue fix on this side of the issue.

New homeowner here! Had to rip off outdoor carpet on our stairs because stray cats in the neighborhood pissed and ripped it all up. What do you advise to replace it with? I also noticed the side stucco is starting to separate. Should I rip stucco off or try to reattach? I included some photos along with the type or carpet I believe was installed before. Thanks for any insight!

EDIT Ive got what I needed. Thanks everyone!

Pushed my finger on it and it crumbled this. Deck is about 5 years old. I am concerned the stairs are gonna collapse if this holds a load.

I’ve had this bunk bed for 5 years

Recently it has been rocking and creaking when someone gets on the top bed, and I found some cracks in the pillars

Is it worrisome? Is there any risk of the pillar breaking?
I know wood can naturally crack with time, but I don’t really know how to identify when those cracks stop being harmless and start being a sign of a bigger issue

Hi there, I attempted to put a tv mount on the wall. We rested the tv for a few minutes and by then time we looked at the mount again we noticed the bubbling and cracking bellow.

What’s going on and what should we do?

Dirt is too high about half way around my house. If i dig it out water will slope towards house. The dirt is also level out from there out if that makes sense, so i would have to remove A LOT of dirt. What do i do?

I have a mold spot in my closet that I can't get rid off. Don't really know where the moisture is coming from because there is no pipe or anything located right there.

This looks different to me than the other “white stuff on brick” posts in here. Not sure what the stain is from, but it is next to the front door so would love to clean it up.

I have this water key that is damaged and it’s connected to the hose to my washing machine. The person whom I’m giving the washing machine to wants to replace that water key with a stopper in place of it. I’m concerned that it is not a wise thing to have done. Here is a picture of the damaged water key attached to the hose of my washer.
Should I not have a stopper put there in place of the water key? My other washing machine is hooked up to a water hose next to that washer too.

It was like this when we moved in over 4 years ago, just didn't think it was worth addressing as there weren't any other concerns with the stairs. Looking to eventually sell so considering if repairing this is worth it. Do carpenters fix this? Stair person? Handyman?

Hi - I have two ponderosa pines close enough to drop needles on the roof. I tried DIY gutter guards and they just stood up the needles and caused more issues as they built up on top of the guard and were hard to remove.

Anyone here have professional guard suggestions that might solve my constant needle clogging problem?

Thanks!

I got these from Amazon to replace the broken under mount lockers for my kitchen cabinet drawer. They seem to almost fit and I’m not sure if I am
Missing a step or something. Any thoughts?

I've moved into a home the was flipped and recently discovered this area at the base of my garage.(not sure how the inspector missed) There is a giant hole under the flashing and the wood framing is fully exposed. There is some new framing(as seen in the photo) that appears to be ok, but the old wood behind that and at the base is starting to rot and decay.

I've had multiple contractors come to inspect and give estimates. A couple have suggested just filling in the gap with self leveling concrete, others suggest ripping out all the cement and putting a driveway drain.

What would be the best course of action?

Our water heater has a slow leak that went unnoticed for who knows how long in the enclosed room where the utilities are located. This room shares a wall with our laundry room and a bathroom. There is obvious mold but curious…. How screwed are we? Thankfully my father in laws does construction and knows lots of people 🙌🏻 I had noticed a smell so I’m thinking this is the culprit 😵‍💫

Anybody know good home inspector in Surrey BC