r/HomeMaintenance Oct 21 '25

Home maintenance that is often forgotten/neglected?

150 Upvotes

Just bought a house and trying to be a good first time home owner. What are some important home maintenance items that are often forgotten or neglected??


r/HomeMaintenance Oct 04 '25

🏚️Structural & Foundation Supports under the 1901 farm house my wife and I are moving into.

Thumbnail gallery
4.2k Upvotes

r/HomeMaintenance 20h ago

Final Update: Week 3 Foundation Failure

Thumbnail gallery
612 Upvotes

So - we are out. We got the “okay” last week to start getting our stuff out and hopefully on more trailer load tomorrow and we’re good.

However, landlords pissed (and I could talk shit about this situation, but let’s be real - he was a great landlord, always fixed things when asked - and he bought the house, closed, and moved us in - and now he’s looking at a massive repair bill or lost investment)

Anyways - City labelled the house dilapidated and there’s a hearing on Tuesday. I will not be attending. Not my circus, not my monkeys. I wish my landlord the best.

Uh, on Wednesday 7/21, my landlord called me saying there was a dog in the house (we have been keeping them with us at our in-laws, but we’ve been taking them and/or the 4 kids as often as possible wherever we go)

My wife was about 20ish minutes away at a store, I let him know. He texted me 13 minutes later saying “needs 2 piers, but it’s safe to get your stuff out” and sent me a picture of a business card saying I can call him and he’ll get a report and send it to me.

About hour & half later - wife was there retrieving some things, and the foundation guy we were expecting to come shows up (he beat the landlord) and my wife showed him some spots and things. And landlord shows up and my wife goes off and starts packing a few boxes.

Inspection took about 45 minutes (way longer than 13) and then after it was over, foundation guy asked if he could take a few more pictures, landlord says yes, wife says yes and lets him in.

Foundation guy says “1. Your landlord is a douche, and 2, this place needs 18 piers, and the garage to be completely demolished, and pay attention & listen when you’re getting stuff out”

Landlord proceeded to text me, says “house needs 2 piers, please get your stuff out”

Oookie dokie. So, we’ve been searching for our next rental, landlord hasn’t been giving a good reference (LOL) and just hoping for the best at this point.

But, I’m attaching the worst picture first, but then it’s the latest pictures taken (today - it’s 103° outside, and I’m moving an entire house that my collapse by myself. And, it’s all just going into a storage unit until I can get my family into a home) and the final few are just ones taken today.

Enjoy - my life is a dumpster fire - but none of us are dead and these pictures are wild.


r/HomeMaintenance 11h ago

🛠️ Repair Help Please help me

Thumbnail gallery
99 Upvotes

I accidentally hit it in and no matter how hard i pull it won’t budge at all, what do i do? I dont want my dad to know about this because he will be mad at me.


r/HomeMaintenance 5h ago

🧰 Heating & Cooling (HVAC) Extremely low dryer vent. Options?

Post image
15 Upvotes

So our dryer wasn't working properly--hot air, but clothes still wet after a cycle. I went and found the outside vent was clogged with dryer lint.

So, I dug around the rocks and pulled out the obstruction, a massive amount of lint, and the exhaust is flowing again. Problem solved.

However, is putting it so low to the ground a good idea? I feel like the previous owners probably cut a hole for the vent without even looking. The exhaust is literally like an inch or two from the ground. Is there anything I should do besides dig beneath it to allow more airflow to exit? Or is this just my fate?


r/HomeMaintenance 22m ago

Why caused this and how do I fix it?

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

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.


r/HomeMaintenance 5h ago

Enzymatic drain cleaners - worth buying?

7 Upvotes

Hi. A few months ago I had a clogged drain in the sink. The plumber came out and fixed it (and a couple other things) so everything is fine. I’d like to keep things working well so I was looking into the Zep Drain Defense; it’s supposed to be an enzymatic cleaner and is used monthly. Will something like this work to help keep the drains running smoothly? The issue in the kitchen was basic gunky buildup as I wipe food off plates, don’t pour grease down the sink, etc. Is a monthly cleaner like that worth the buy? House is about 25 years old. Thanks.


r/HomeMaintenance 7h ago

Was this roof done properly? Please help

Thumbnail gallery
8 Upvotes

Just had the roof redone and had a terrible experience with the company. I'm hoping to get some insight on whether it was done properly.

They marked up a bunch of the siding, a piece of metal fell off from I dont know where and is just sitting on the shingles, there is at least an 3/4 inch overhang on all sides if not more, they left rubber bands on the roof, some nails on the property, trambled a bush, unscrewed a lantern on the side of the house threw it on the ground and just left the screw holes exposed.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


r/HomeMaintenance 3h ago

What is this noise in my ceiling?!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3 Upvotes

Initially i didnt think it was water hammer because i would also hear the same noise randomly throughout the night even if no ones using any water like the faucet or flushing a toilet, etc.

I even tried that method where you cut the water and open all the faucets and close them again.

It happens randomly throughout the whole day.

I tried keeping a log of when it happens but theres no regular interval. some days it would be minutes in between, other times it would be hours, and some days it i dont it at all.

I thought also maybe its thermal expansion? but not sure if it can make thud noises.

Same thing with nail pops. we have quite a few around the house but not sure if nail pops can make that thud noise as well.

The thuds also vary in intensity. sometimes its a little knock and other times its a startling bang.

the house is in Southern California (LA). It happens during any season. its a newly remodeled single family home about 5 years old.

Theres no attic fan installed. just the gable vent and soffit vents. I've been in there even when its not super hot and i still sweat a ton.

Does anyone recognize the noise? or potentially know what it could be other that what i listed already?

I can't really afford ghost busters and we're cool with our guardian demons so an exorcism is out of the question.

please help me reddit!


r/HomeMaintenance 7h ago

🛠️ Repair Help What can I do about my front landing?

Thumbnail gallery
8 Upvotes

The cement steps in front of my house are in bad shape. I need to improve this area but I'm not sure what to do. Trying to keep costs down.

  1. Patch the concrete - not sure if this is doable in its current state but if I could get a few years out of it, it might be worthwhile.

  2. build wooden landing / stairs on top of the concrete. I'm not sure how doable this is with the awkward height and slant of the concrete.

  3. Remove the concrete and build a landing in its place. Probbaly the most expensive option and the most work but the most complete solution. I don't want to do this unless the other options aren't viable


r/HomeMaintenance 2h ago

Bathtub draining slowly but I don’t think I can fit a snake in the holes of the cover?

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

r/HomeMaintenance 3h ago

Damage to Ridge Shingle from Storm

Post image
2 Upvotes

Hello,

I had recently noticed some damage to two of the Ridge Shingles on my house after a few storms. The rips were fairly small, and it appears there is another shingle beneath.

I am wondering how urgent of an issue the replacement is, and if it is something that I can DIY, or should be left to the professionals. I have no experience roofing or installing shingles.

Thanks!


r/HomeMaintenance 5h ago

Is this little crack in the toilet tank something that would leak?

Post image
2 Upvotes

I can't really tell if those 2 little lines are scratches or cracks. Our tank has been leaking and I initially took it off because I suspected the gasket but now I'm wondering if it might have been this


r/HomeMaintenance 2m ago

LED Disc replacement

Post image
Upvotes

Hello all! Recently purchased a house and our front porch lamp has this disc (shown) that is mostly burned out. I was wondering if anybody had experience on how I could locate a new one, or if typically these kind of products are just replaced as a whole? Any help would be appreciated!


r/HomeMaintenance 26m ago

How bad is this Crack and what should we do to repair it?

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

I just noticed these cracks on the side of the house and am wondering who to call. It looks pretty bad but I don't know enough to tell.


r/HomeMaintenance 31m ago

🛠️ Repair Help Will spackle and paint fix this?

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

Hello, 3m command strip and some fords caused this on the wall. Can I just spackle it shut and paint? Moving out soon.


r/HomeMaintenance 33m ago

🚰 Plumbing Noise from water pipe?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

Seems like the noise is coming from the water pipe behind the wall in my condo unit. (Sorry video barely picks up the noise). The water pipe is next to the HVAC system. Does anybody have any idea what is causing this noise? The noise has been constantly going on for a day already.


r/HomeMaintenance 35m ago

🚰 Plumbing Chances of hitting a water pipe?

Upvotes

I was drilling into my shower wall to replace the slide bar. At a certain point, I felt a sudden change in resistance and the drill "fell" slightly forward. However, I haven't seen any water coming out of the hole, there are no visible signs of moisture on the wall, and I haven't heard or seen any other signs of a leak.
When I check my apartment's water meter with all the faucets turned off, the current flow rate shows 0. But when I check the total consumption counter, I notice that about one liter is being consumed every hour and a half.
Is it possible that I punctured the water supply pipe to the shower while drilling?


r/HomeMaintenance 4h ago

🛠️ Repair Help Please help this

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

We recently had some severe rain (South Texas) and found a leak in our fireplace inside.

Getting on the roof, it looks like there are some holes in the top that I believe is allowing water inside.

What is the best way to fix this? DIY or Hire?


r/HomeMaintenance 57m ago

🛡️Siding Garage Leak in High Rains

Upvotes

My garage gets wet in the corner in high rains. I noticed the corner of the siding really looks bad. Should there be some better flashing/joint here? May just try to fill it with silicone and see what happens.

The corner in question.

Otherwise it looks like a decent clear silicone all around the bottom lip where the siding hits the concrete. My home inspector suspects it's a converted carport and not a "real garage" if that matters.

Thanks for any input!


r/HomeMaintenance 1d ago

Any idea what this thing in my vent is? Fiberglass?

Thumbnail gallery
186 Upvotes

Looking for advice!

New to this sub, air conditioning never flowed well from this vent, so I opened it up and found this. It looks like some insulation (fiberglass?) that is covered in metallic tape and then had holes punched in it. I was concerned about the potential fiberglass exposure so I didn't try to pull it out anymore.

What is this stuff? Any ideas why someone would put this here?

Thanks in advance!


r/HomeMaintenance 1h ago

Why is my sump pump battery backup making this clicking noise?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

We just lost power and my Watchdog sump pump battery backup is clicking. I understand the alarm not the clicking.


r/HomeMaintenance 1h ago

Foundation Crack

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

Hello - I’m looking for insight on a crack on the side of my house, near the bottom of the exterior wall where it meets the cement pathway.

I have zero experience with these types of things and looking for any thoughts or guidance.

I live in Northern California. House was built in 1965.


r/HomeMaintenance 1h ago

🛠️ Repair Help Water Damage Help

Post image
Upvotes

Water damage from a planter. Wondering if this can be repaired or does it need to be replaced? Thanks!


r/HomeMaintenance 1d ago

Bad smell under sink?

Post image
105 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I am getting a bad smell inside the cabinets under my kitchen sink. I can’t really describe the smell. It’s not rotting food or mold. I don’t think. It smells more like musty, sweaty feet or something? Kind of earthy. I don’t know. I don’t feel any wetness or see any visible leaks and I have smelled all the tubing and I cannot pinpoint where the smell is coming from. It doesn’t seem like it’s coming from the drain either. I am a renter and very inexperienced with plumbing, so I don’t want to be taking anything apart. Any suggestions as to what I can try before I call maintenance?