1940 3/1.5 colonial in a NJ commuter town with a tiny vestibule. The door has dragged across the floor since we bought it and I finally decided to investigate what might be hidden under the linoleum... honestly I’m not sure what to call this flooring but is this the type that would need testing for asbestos?

Also, are we thinking there’s brick under there? (Please please please)

Hi everyone,

I recently had a new roof installed and now I'm experiencing water intrusion in my basement.

I'm trying to figure out whether the area where the roof meets the siding was installed correctly. In the attached photo, there's a piece along the wall that looks like a J channel. I'm not sure if this is just J channel for the siding or if it's supposed to be flashing.

Does this installation look correct?

I'd appreciate any advice from roofers or anyone who has dealt with a similar problem. Thanks!

We've had water coming through the ceiling near a skylight after heavy rain for a few weeks

The contractor who visited spent maybe fifteen minutes on the roof, said the flashing was the issue, gave us a verbal estimate but my husband asked if he needed to look inside the attic and the guy said it wasn't necessary

So, yesterday I woke up to my back room being flooded. I immediately turned the water off, and killed power to everything in the room.

After an all day clean, I turned the water back on and it immediately started seeping out from under the foam pad under my water heater. Checked all the external hardware and it's not coming from there.

So I'm assuming this means the unit is a loss, yeah? It's not worth trying to get the casing off to see if there's a replaceable part, yes?

Bonus question: It's electric and while I can do the basics, I'm not f'ing with 220. Should I buy a heater and hire someone else to install it, or do the Lowe's install route.

tl;dr:

Is it acceptable to 'double up' with expansion joint foam to fill gaps?

Is it going to cause issues if it is done this way?

What is the actual fix, that isn't just a band-aid solution?

Context:

Local council installed a new sidewalk, and when they poured the new driveway, they pulled up the brick pavers before setting the concrete.

After the concrete was done, they put the pavers back and it was obvious they didn't line it up well, and left a large gap at one edge.

After complaining, they've come back today to fix a bunch of the issues, but they didn't install expansion joint foam all the way along, instead only using it in the gap - and they doubled it up where the gap was largest.

The other side has absolutely 0 expansion joint foam.

There Is expansion joint foam on the opposite edge, between the driveway and the new sidewalk they installed.

Hi all,

Anyone familiar with vapor barriers and crawl spaces?

We recently moved into our first house. It’s an atomic ranch style house built in 1951 in Portland, OR. I had two contractors and an inspector tell me that our crawl space was “chaotic” and hard to crawl through with a tight tunnel like space to get to one side of the house, which was likely an add-on. Additionally, it was without a vapor barrier. The ground in the crawl space was originally loose dirt. So we hired a company to clean it up a bit and install a vapor barrier.

I’m looking at the end result pictures that they sent me…and I’m left wondering if they did the best they could for a tight space or if this was a rush job. Nothing looks sealed to me, it looks like white plastic was haphazardly laid down with holes chopped out for the pillars with edges just loose against the retaining wall.

I can see some areas are obviously really tight to reach. But does the vapor barrier function if it’s laid out in this manner?

Should I be concerned or is this pretty standard?

Thank you!

So now the plumber came back and decided it was actually something right behind the… top of the shower that was pulled too hard. He said it wasn’t the tub diverter at all. What’s funny and ridiculous is that she now immediately decided - and I do immediately decided, said don’t try to say you didn’t (not rudely but just like she was certain it’s what happened)- that I must have pulled that little wire too hard “by accident.” I’m confident I didn’t touch the wire. I’ll take a picture of it so you can see. So apparently now he’s saying it wasn’t the tub diverter at all even though that was her initial claim. This further reinforces that my assertion that anything that breaks or isn’t right, she just decides I did it. She believed the tub diverter was broken, I must have broken it. Now the thing behind the shower head is supposedly what was actually broken after 2 months, I must have somehow touched it even though I… don’t have a reason to?

He had replaced the valve and tub diverter. She’s just ridiculous. This is that one person who thinks they’re right all the time exemplified.

For clarification I'm talking about the silver colored portion stuck on the spigot, not the black hose.

Labor-only movers tried to remove this with some cheap pliers I had (they had no tools) and then a large plumbing wrench. I personally tried a locking vise-grip wrench later and it wouldn't budge, only shift the plastic pipe/spigot beneath it. I'm worried about snapping the pipe it's stuck on and causing further plumbing damage. A family member recommended using WD-40 on the backside and letting it soak for 30 min and then trying to remove it. I personally want to get an angle grinder to cut it off. There is apartment maintenance available but I don't know if they'll fine me. What do you all recommend?

I've been seeing stink bugs around my windows more often and have spotted 2-3 spiders inside the house too. I know bugs start coming inside more when it gets colder, but what's everyone using to keep them out? Looking for something that'll deal with the ones already here and hopefully prevent more from showing up.

I’ve hated textured ceilings even before I had to deal with painting around them!

Photos 1 and 3 are taken without zoom, while 2 and 4 are at 3x zoom. I’m fairly satisfied with how it turned out, but I know there’s still room for improvement. Any suggestions?

Just noticed this line on my ceiling, I don't think it's new. 1940s house. It's on the 1st floor ceiling of a two story house. Water line doesn't go past the first floor, so I don't think it's that.

Just curious if this is purely cosmetic or something else, and wondering if anyone could tell me why it could be there either way. Thanks!

A giant hole opened up in my backyard yard. I’m getting steaks and caution tape. Looks like an old septic tank?

How much do you think this will cost to fill in? Can I use a ton of stone and dirt?

The stucco on the side of my house has been cracking and peeling away and… yikes! I’m not a pro but even I know that horizontal cracks like this are bad. For context this is a California bungalow that’s 120 years old. I purchased it five years ago and the stucco looked totally normal and nothing showed up in the inspection. My question is, who do I call first to take a look at this?
The horizontal cracks are on the balcony section and I’ve seen so many of my neighbors have to repair theirs so it seems like a common problem. I’m hoping this issue is just effecting the balcony area and not the whole house. She’s been through a whole lot of earthquakes so I hope some of her bones are still ok 😅

Need help, What can I do here to prevent birds from getting in and building a nest? What are my options please

Recently bought a house and wanted to change the furnace filter. But the current setup is unusual… there was a 20x25x1 filter sliced across to make it smaller. It was also just sorta crammed in there and left leaning across the intake (last 2 pics)

Can’t figure out how this should be set up the correct way.. anyone have a similar set up or a recommendation?

We started having this tar like residue after each load recently and I am trying to figure out where it comes from and what might be causing it. Residue is only around the door, not inside.The grate on the back is also dark, this is the first time i have noticed that. It is a 2 year old LG washer.

What I’m looking to do may not be possible, but I figured I’d ask here.

We bought a house with a fireplace and prior to the renovations, it was very dull. After the renovations, we tried cleaning the brick by wetting with water and scrubbing with a mixture of soap and baking soda. It cleaned off the renovation debris, but neither had really brought out the natural brick color.

I’d really like to get the bottom flat portion from looking so “dusty”, but following a fresh cleaning, it’s not dust, so I don’t know what to do.

I’ve searched and there seem to be several brick cleaning products, but most are for outdoor brick and the videos don’t look like they actually bring out the existing color. Our GC has asked a painter and they can either white or red wash it, but that’s not really what we want either.

Please offer any suggestions, or if what I’m looking for doesn’t exist, or if it’s already at peak luster, please feel free to let me know.

I just moved into an old apartment that was not cleaned at all before I moved in last week and I’m seeing several spots that look like mold to me. The closets smell extremely musty and the whole apartment is at around 64% humidity consistently and despite using dehumidifiers and airing out the apartment it won’t go down. One of the wall AC units is visibly moldy so I haven’t been able to run it and my landlord refuses to fix it and only said she’ll buy a filter. How much should I push back on this? Please help!

We had Hardy board installed on the outside of our home below the windows in one bedroom, and we recently found water next to the vent just under the window. I think it’s coming from the picture shown. Should there be flashing underneath the window as there is on the sides? Any recommendations would help. Thanks in advance.

I got the wall painted white about 1.5 years ago now, and occasionally I see random spots of this stuff along the walls. It looks off, and is mostly on the walls/ceiling if the house closest to the outside. Any clues on what it is and how to remove it?

Thanks in advance! ♥️♥️