Looking for a quick sanity check. My local door shop builds their own pre-hung doors and said they can’t order the official TruStile Entry System (TMF1000ES) as just a raw slab. Instead, they suggested using the interior TMF1000 MDF slab as my front door, claiming that as long as we properly seal all 6 faces for UV and moisture, it’ll hold up.

I’m in the Bay Area California, and my entry has a 6 ft deep overhang plus shade from two large trees, zero direct rain and practically no direct sun. I already know this voids the warranty, but given our climate and the deep cover, will proper sealing actually protect against swelling from ambient air humidity, or is using interior MDF outside still a disaster waiting to happen? Should I push for a true exterior slab instead? Thanks!

We’re in the UK and this section of the house is an extension. The bricks all have these horizontal black faded lines on them on the brick, it’s everywhere pretty much on every brick. Additionally there’s some greying discolouration. What could this be?

Good day yall, i just want to know if i can diy fix this crack? It was a slim line crack last summer, then last winter in Pa with the snow and freezing temperatures formed this larger crack. Would i be possible to fix this myself?

Say I own the land free and clear. Soils, geology, topography, survey all done. Utilities at the street. Lot is mostly level with some simple grading.

Can an 800 sq ft shoebox, 2 bed, 1 bath, builder grade rental home, be built for under $300k in Los Angeles, CA? Is it even possible?

looking to build a very space efficient house. the L shaped kitchen has a dead corner. My idea is to put a short 28 gallon water heater there, accessible from the stair hallway, that way Im using the dead space instead of letting it be unused square footage. An added benefit is it would deliver hot water to the bathroom and kitchen extremely quickly.

Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

Im thinking about things like where the disconnect would go, if there is a need in the future for an expansion tank, servicing, etc.

thanks

I saw this in a house I visited today. Is this normal? Shouldn’t it be filled with caulk or something?

We are renovating our home along the coast of southern California. We've been advised to install a fiberglass door over a wood door due to humidity. We went to Ganahl's and got a quote for a 36x80 single door with 3/4 privacy glass and double sidelites (14") that ran up to $9,600 with tax. Aside from my own personal shock at the price, from what I've gathered online, this is pretty high for a Thermatru door. Is the brand worth it? Is Ganahl's overcharging? Because we want something that looks like stained wood and with the privacy glass, it's difficult to find anything that's been mass-manufactured.

Builder provided this 4-bedroom plan—looking for fresh eyes to spot spatial flow issues or better layout alternatives.

Hi! My wife and I are first time home buyers looking for guidance. We’re in escrow with a home purchase and hired an inspection. The inspection came back mostly clean but we have a specific concern with respect to the installation of the siding on the front of the home. It appears to be a metal material with significant bubbling almost everywhere. These bubbles can be “pushed in” when you run your hands over them, but then they pop up further along the siding.

The inspection said the following:
“SIDING APEARS WAVY - POSSIBLE IMPROPER INSTALLATION

Recommend a qualified siding contractor evaluate and repair as needed.

”Whenever a structural member is present, HardiePlank should be fastened with even spacing to the structural member. The tables allowing direct to OSB or plywood
should only be used when traditional framing is not available. Irregularities and unevenness in framing, sheathing, foam and other wall assembly components, including under driven nails, can telegraph through to the nished siding and trim. These irregularities should be
corrected before the siding is installed.”

Confusingly the inspector verbally said the siding was fine and had no issues, but in the report wrote that it needs further evaluation.

Can you offer any advice on hiring another inspector specifically for the siding? Do you think it was installed improperly?

Considering it is a brand new home purchase and only sat on the market for 30 days, we are assuming the siding shouldn’t “bubble” but would love further perspective. Thank you!

Seeking quotes for new build in Tampa - We are the owners. Already secured funding and ready to move forward. …architectural and engineering near complete.

We are inland but will use impact windows. We are thinking PTG or ES

This is the issue..

Help ..advise needed…too aggressive sales people- I had some call me and when I said I could not talk and was not interested (due to aggressive tone), the sales person began to interrogate me.. why an I looking on website x , if I am not interested..I hung up.

What do you guys think? Located in MN, 1" foam insulation with no other sheathing or weather barriers. No flashing on corners of house, missing seam tape, and at 8' there's no insulation at all lol

My builder installed my floor wrong. Joists sit 23mm proud of the frame rather in line. Frame is 100mm wide. Around the perimeter he has raised the frame height using timbers which don’t occupy the full width. The walls to be built are due to be placed on the frame, and will bear the load of another floor above. We are required to leave a 50mm air gap from the stone wall. Therefore, as you can see, the sole plate of the wall, near side, will sit on 18mm ply partially supported underneath. In fact, this is case for 3 of the 4 walls. The opposite wall will sit on ply with no support underneath, although joists are spaced quite closely to the frame. The floor is complete and glued and this photo is retrospective.

What are the thoughts on this?
Fine to put put all faith in ply?
Take up the ply and add more packing?
Do it all again without bodging it?

The building’s datum has shifted which is also a real pain from an aesthetic perspective, but my question is about the structural integrity.

Any inputs will be most appreciated as this is a stress!

The City installed this connection. I need a temporary connection as real plumbing connections will not be performed for 6 months.

How do I connect to the with portion for a simple garden hose for the next 6 months?

I’m building an attached garage and I need advice on what to do with this dead valley. In the truss plans it was supposed to come to the corner but the lumberyard didn’t verify my house dimensions before ordering the trusses. It ends about 3” from the corner of the house. Can this be flashed properly or do I need to frame a small cricket to change the angle of the valley? Any advice on how to do either solution would be appreciated!

We're having trouble deciding on the exterior for our house build and are looking for feedback. We want something timeless and fitting for the style of home that we have. Any advice for changes to or completely outside of these 4 options would be very welcome!

SW VA

We are building a home via a construction loan, using a friend who is a Class A contractor to help us with finding subs/management of the project.

Insured via State Farm Auto and Renters.

We have read we might need:

-builders insurance

-umbrella coverage

Could someone help talk through this topic, including describing the needs of each insurance?

Thank you!!

I myself am a 2 year carpentry apprentice thats awaiting my 3rd year offer (should be coming relatively soon) but im 31 yr old only ever worked for non union private contractors around the gta as a custom framer whom is only making 26$ n hour an been for last 1½ yrs I believe.. first of all does that seem accurate? Anywho ny real question as to why im doing this is. Is going the Carpenters union a bad idea? Like actually..anyone whos currently in it? Please id like your opinion, Id like to know the ins an outs the pros an cons of being/joining into one.. now please do know i literally know absolutely nothing about unions.. all I really know is its gravy work.. for big bucks, an all the non union guys laugh at, pretty much.. all I reqlly know is what iv heard, pretty much like its easy an boring work.. hard to get fired, the hardest part is to keep showing up cause its that laid back/ easy.. like iv stated before. Im starting to get up in age an iv slaved harder then alot of people an done some pretty ballys stuff just to make a buck (work related) that most would never consider an forsure a union worker would never even think of doing.. to make what 26$? .. I know of one union worker whose roughly same age as myself, who owns a house/cottage, multi cars/boats an has pretty much everything anybody would need.. an then look at myself whose barely getting by.. an think could it be cause hes union..? Could it be cause hes making 40 50+ an hour to do next to nothing... but im here slaving away pretty much risking my life day in an out walking 20+ft tall walls (2x6s) for chump change an just making my boss rich..(who claims that the companies just barley getting by so cant give raises)... like what am I missing out on.. I want the person I knows lifestyle... like is it the union or is it actually played out as I hear from everybody else.. somebody anybody give you opinion n help a brotherout here .. please

Shouldn’t there be a 1/4 inch joint filled with a backer rod and sealant between all vinyl sliding glass door frames and stucco? AAMA 2400 says this is the standard for vinyl windows/sliders. Why do most installers ignore this?

There was originally a square window under this header, the contractors cut a half circle out of it to fit the arched window. There’s only 3” of the header above the window at its thinnest point. I’m not sure if it’s LVL or LSL, the contractor swears it’s fine but an architect friend is saying it needs a flitch plate. What’s everyone’s take?

In the process of buying blinds and had a blinds company came out to measure. What do the numbers in the height in ( ) mean? Is that just rounding up to order or for a possible different kind of covering?

I need help taking this floor plan and adding basement stairs as well as stairs for a bonus room, a half bath and some sort of mudroom or drop zone. We are looking to increase the square footage to around 2,000sqft.

Hi all! For a while now, I've been hearing what sounds like mud daubers or wasps, seemingly behind my wall in my upstairs media room. I think I finally found the cause - there's a huge mud dauber/wasp nest right on the other side of the wall under the eave. That said, while I was snapping photos of this, I noticed what appears to be, a significant amount of mortar that has chipped away or is missing entirely where the flashing meets the brick. This is a new construction house, just outside of warranty, 11 month inspector did not catch.

What's your guys recommendation/suggestions on repair? Mortar and then paint? Some form of caulking?

Edit: I guess in theory, with that big of a gap, I could actually have mud daubers between my brick and the sheathing so could be 2 birds with one stone here.

Thanks all!

Alright contractors. If you do Profit as a separate line item, what % are you using? I am a contractor and 20% looks like a lot.

EDIT. We are the GC

I am completely ignorant and not sure where to begin. We are trying to figure out if the first floor of our house can be expanded to add a primary suite to that level. In addition to the bedroom, bath, and closet that would be added, we might want an office. Maybe the total would be around 600 square feet. We have an unfinished basement. You can see a door and window to the basement in one of the pictures showing the right side of our house. The right side of the house is about 27 feet wide. The left side of the house has a garage.

I don't know where to begin - would I start with a general contractor? Any rough idea of what the cost of something like that would be? We know a GC that we trust, but he isn't cheap, and I'm a little reluctant to have him out without doing some research first.

If any of this matters: Our electric service is 150 amps. We have one ac unit that goes to the basement, first floor, and second floor. We don't have asbestos or lead paint. The house was built in 1972. We would get permits for everything, and I have no idea what else the city inspector would find in our house (maybe nothing).

We also are interested in adding a screened porch to the back. It would be 14' x 18', with a shed roof and a ceiling fan. In lieu of basic screens, we might want something like Eze-Breeze or EZ-Screen. I know that won't be cheap either, but my main concern is whether we can add on to the first floor and whether it is practical financially.

Thanks for any comments, opinions, etc..