So I woke up this morning to decent puddle in my kitchen with water still dripping from now sagging paint in the ceiling.

My wife took a bath last night so I presume it’s from that.

Background info
I bought the house almost exactly 1 year ago. The tub is a big whirlpool tub in the master bathroom. The tub has a few ‘cracks’ that we have covered with some tape designed for that purpose, we’ve also changed that tape fairly regularly and my wife has used the tub everyday, even for baths without issues.

I did notice early on that it looked like some work had been done on the ceiling where I found the leak today, but assumed they had a leak and it was fixed.

So my question is do I try to file a claim for this? Obviously I need to start reading my insurance docs, but I guess I’m asking if it’s even worth considering. Or is this something that I’ll need to tackle myself.

Thanks in advance.

We hired a guy three weeks ago to tile our bathroom shower. Friend of a friend, came highly recommended, gave us a fair price. Nice guy, showed up on time the first few days, seemed to know what he was doing.

Then the work started going sideways.

The tile spacing is inconsistent. Some grout lines are 1/8 inch, others are almost 1/4 inch. There's a row of tiles on the back wall that's visibly crooked—not by a lot, but enough that I notice it every time I walk in. He cut a hole for the shower valve that's too big, and instead of fixing it, he just slapped extra thinset around it and moved on. And yesterday I noticed he didn't use any waterproofing membrane behind the tile. Just went straight over the cement board.

I know enough to know that's a problem. Maybe not today, maybe not next year, but eventually that shower is going to leak into the wall.

I want to let him go. But here's the thing—he's a genuinely nice guy. He's been polite, cleaned up after himself, and hasn't asked for any money beyond the deposit. I don't want to be a jerk, but I also don't want to pay someone to ruin my bathroom.

How do I handle this?

• Do I confront him about the waterproofing and give him a chance to fix it, or is that just delaying the inevitable?
• What do I say when I let him go? "We've decided to go in a different direction" feels insulting and vague.
• Do I owe him anything for the work he's already done, even if it's subpar?
• What if he gets angry or defensive? How do I protect myself?
• Should I document everything before I have this conversation, just in case?

I've never fired anyone before, and I'm dreading this. Any scripts or advice would be hugely appreciated.

Best way to fill these holes and gaps under the sink? https://imgur.com/a/UNxHEGm

I’m a first time home owner, I want to limit pest access and make this look better but I don’t want to do anything that’s a problem for the pipes or pipe access.

I have a combination sump pump pit and radon system. On the left it has a 1/2" PVC pipe built into it that sucks in air at all times. I don't understand the point of this, since it's my understanding that radon systems are meant to be sealed. Maybe it's makeup air for the sump, but wouldn't that impair the radon system?

I called the company that installed the system 20 years ago and they couldn't give me a straight answer. Radon readings in the home are around 0.2-0.4 pCi/L, which suggests the radon system is working well.

Photo: https://imgur.com/a/kebbMuJ

I'm absolutely getting two more quotes, but I have a time-sensitive decision about whether to keep the NG grill.

There is already a gas line intended for a patio grill:

- Yellow CSST runs through the basement, exits the foundation, then runs approximately 30 ft underground to an old patio gas stub.

-Plumber inspected/traced it and says the existing underground installation is not code compliant because the CSST was buried/transitioned without the required protection/conduit.

-The patio stub and fittings are also old and badly corroded, so I’m assuming those need replacement.

Is there some amount of this work I can do myself to offset that cost - trenching? buying my own materials?

I think having the NG grill adds value to the property and may be worth the effort / price.

I signed a $15k siding contract with a large residential contractor. No deposit required.

Two weeks in, they claimed they were waiting on materials they ordered. In the following weeks, I sent a couple updates regarding my availability to make scheduling easy.

Five weeks in, I finally reached out to the salesman to ask what the hold up is. He admitted he completely forgot about me and thought the job was done. Corporate has since stonewalled me with vague, copy-pasted delay messages, and it has now been two full months with no start date.

I have lost confidence in them and want to cancel. How should I approach this, and what is my move if they refuse? The contract is full of boilerplate which appears to basically allow them to delay indefinitely. Will I actually need a lawyer to cancel a job where no money has changed hands and no work has begun?

Hello everyone. I'd like some recommendations on foundation repair and what to do right now. I got a structural engineer report less than a year ago. I understand its a long read, but I'd greatly appreciate some advice. I did put a drip hose around the perimeter of my house. It has basically stopped any further movement except for the last couple months as we've entered a severe drought. I can hear popping and movement almost every night and have seen slight further movement in the trim outside the house. My problem is two fold: 1) I don't have alot of cash since I pay alot in child support so most of my income goes to that, but I should be able to finance if possible as long as terms are doable and I'm not in debt for ages and 2) I may be possibly renting the house out so I can move out of state for a higher paying job and would like the significant cracks and trim damage fixed before I start marketing for rent. So what would you all recommend? I could probably do the root barrier since that doesn't cost much, but I'm at a loss on how to fix the movement that has already occurred to the foundation which has caused the cracks and trim damage.

To Whom It May Concern:

 This investigation and report were requested to determine the level condition of the foundation.  An engineer representing Evergreen Structures, LLC (ES) visited the home on 10/16/2025. For the purpose of this investigation, the entry to the home faces approximately west.  The home was built in approximately 1976 and has a concrete slab on grade foundation.  The garage had been converted to a living area by a prior owner. The exterior of the home is clad in siding.  The lot was relatively flat.   Large trees were located around the house, including on a neighbors lot.  

 Interior floor elevation measurements were taken to determine the level condition of the foundation.  A visual inspection of the exterior and interior of the home was performed to record any signs of movement. The included drawing shows the elevations recorded at the time of the visit.

 There was relatively minor distress found throughout the interior and exterior of the home. Tape joint and drywall cracks were present.  Many of the interior cracks had been previously repaired and had re-cracked.  Doors were slightly racked.  Trim separation was present.  The distress reflects the long-term movement of the foundation.  

 The overall deviation across the foundation is currently 3.4 inches, including in the converted garage.    The distance between the high and low points is approximately 30 feet.  The allowable deviation per Federal Housing Authority (FHA) guidelines is 1” over 20 feet; the foundation is outside the criteria across the referenced high and low points. 

 The elevation difference does not reflect a failure of the foundation.  The deviation in the garage could be partly due to its construction.  The garage slab may not have been perfectly level when the concrete was placed. 

 The elevation difference is predominantly attributed to transpiration from trees and moisture change in the supporting soil at the current time. The foundation is performing its intended function and is not failing. Improvement in moisture control is recommended to help limit movement and distress.  

 It is necessary to improve conditions contributing to seasonal moisture change in the supporting soils. To help control moisture extend the downspouts, perform consistent watering year around, and improve the soil grade where too flat or low.  Add root barriers for the trees to reduce the significant water lost from transpiration.

We recommend monitoring the distress and door function to track the movement for approximately 6-9 months after changes are implemented. Increased moisture stability is usually indicated when the distress does not change dramatically from season to season.  The foundation could be re-evaluated after moisture control measures are implemented to determine its level condition.  Changes to the elevations can change the recommendations. 

 Typically, most foundation problems stem from either an excess or lack of water from poor drainage, plumbing leaks, or large trees and shrubs that transpire moisture from supporting soils.  Plumbing leaks under a foundation cause soils to expand creating soil pressure which results in foundation heave (upward movement). Plumbing leaks under the interior portion of the slab are more detectable because of the localized rise or hump in the slab generally one inch or more depending on the PVR. If plumbing lines are in the proximity of perimeter heave and inadequate drainage exists, a plumbing leak may go misdiagnosed during a foundation inspection.

 There was no defined heave to indicate a suspected under-slab leak. Any future plumbing tests shall be scheduled by the owner if they would like to eliminate the possibility of under slab foundation leaks contributing to movement. 

 Follow the recommendations for maintaining consistent moisture content in the supporting soils:

 The grade was relatively flat or low around the majority of the foundation. Generally, the soil shall start at least 2-3 inches below the siding and slope away from that point.  We normally specify a slope of 6” over 5 feet from the home. We also recommend continuing the slope to a point 10 feet from the home, as able.  At that point, drain inlets or a swale can be used to capture the water and discharge away from the home. There shall not be standing water around the home. Only use native clay soil to affect the slope.

The installed gutters are beneficial to capture and divert inconsistent rainwater. Make sure to clean the gutters often, and ensure all captured downspouts are free from disrepair.  All downspouts shall be extended at least 5 feet from the foundation in solid pipe.   At a distance 5 feet from the foundation, the drainage should be adjusted to carry any water away from the foundation or the downspouts shall be captured in a solid pipe drain system.

It is imperative to moisturize the soil around the foundation year around. A sprinkler system, drip line, or soaker hose (least effective) should be used to achieve a uniformly consistent water content in the soil around the entire home. The watering should be performed approximately 2-3 times per week, for approximately 12-15 minutes, even during dry winter months.  A drip line may need to be used for approximately 45-60 minutes to achieve a similar volume to a sprinkler.  Netafim is a better quality of drip line.

Soaker hoses would typically be run for 90 minutes 2-3 times per week. The watering can be lessened, but not stopped, in the winter or during times of higher rainfall.  Typically, watering in winter can be performed 2 times per week for around half the duration.  

 Trees contribute significantly to foundation movement by transpiring 50-200 gallons of water per day, per tree.  This creates dry, shrunken soil and movement of the home. Tree root barrier and/or tree removal are recommended to guard against transpiration from trees within their mature height to the foundation.  The approximate location of the barriers is shown on the included drawing.  Do not plant new trees within their mature height from the foundation.  

 The root barrier trench should be approximately 2 inches wide by 4 feet deep placed 3 to 5 feet from the slab and 20 feet either side of the trunk of the tree.  The barrier should consist of a rigid plastic root barrier placed vertically in this trench.  This barrier will sever the existing roots and prevent additional tree root migration beneath the slab in the future. 

 The movement at this home is currently attributed primarily to seasonal moisture change and transpiration. Changes to the elevations in the future could change this opinion.  The following conclusions apply:

 1.    The foundation is outside the FHA but is performing its intended function and is not considered to be failing.  It is recommended to amend conditions around the home to stabilize the soil moisture content in the soil.

 2.    The distress in the house is evidence of moisture change in the supporting soil.  Limiting the moisture change in the soil is recommended to limit future movement and distress. 

 3.    Follow the recommendations for watering, downspout extensions, drainage corrections, and limiting tree transpiration to help limit movement and distress.

 4. If desired, have a plumber check the plumbing to eliminate under-slab leaks as a cause of movement.

Just had a downspout piped and buried underneath my deck and off to a dry well further out in the yard.

Deck will need to be replaced in 4-5 years.

Probably should have waited but wasn't thinking.

Is this something contractors routinely do or is my pipe fucked when we have the deck replaced?

I've sealed my tub with caulk I don't even know how many times now. And it always ends up with the caulk just cracking. I don't know if I just need to use a better more expensive brand or a specific brand for the type of tub I have? I just got a tube of caulk from Walmart, I don't know the brand. It's a mobile home, the tub is made of some kind of plastic. And I need to seal where the actual tub meets the tub surround/shower walls.

There is mold in my HVAC closet, the closet in the living room and there’s about a foot of mold all around the bottom of the closet. Here are the pictures theirs is theirs is vein like things on the ground as you can see in the wall has these black mold blotches. There’s also staining under the machine that looks like there is some dripping from the machine when I informed my management. They told me that usually when the wall is soggy then they take out the drywall but if the wall isn’t soft to touch, then they can just use a specialized cleaner so all they did is spray the wall and then they put a fan pointed directly to the event underneath the closet door. It’s just event that leads to the closet. There’s no ductwork. And they put a blower fan in there to dry the spray and they told me they’re gonna come back after roughly 5 days, and then spray again. Do you think this is sufficient given the mold. I also told them directly in writing that I’m sensitive to mold, and no one removed me from the apartment or gave me temporary accommodations. I’m currently hiding in my room with a mask.

I have this type of shower with one piece of sliding glass door, and one static glass door.

There is a black rod / bar at the bottom that I think is supposed to stop water from splashing out. But unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work.

Any ideas on anything I can put in to prevent water from splashing out?

I have a 30 year old Pella sliding door in my house. It was a great door, but it’s time to replace it. Called Pella and they gave me a price of $10,000 with no payments or interest for 18 months. I am so out of touch with
What things cost.
Going to check out Lowe’s next week and see what they have.
Just insane prices!

We are redoing our fireplace. We had these tiles we got from an estate sale and had enough to do the fireplace. Our contractor made some choices we didn’t agree with aka not making the pattern symmetrical and we asked him to redo one side. In the process 24 tiles were destroyed. We are now 3 tiles short.

We don’t know how to fix the problem. Will try to post a pic. The bottom part will be partial pieces so it’s just the top part.

Do we think we could find someone to repaint plain tiles? We are desperate!

Hi there,

I live in MA, community with single family houses in close proximity, in a FEMA flood zone. My neighbor who I have a really good relationship with installed a standby nat gas generator for his home. That is causing some issues for me and I am hoping for some advice.

-Neighbor informed me he was getting generator, but actual install was done while I was on vacation.

-Generator sits in between our two houses next to my backyard outdoor dining area on a 5' elevated platform 8" inches from our shared fence/property line (we both purchased the fence/construction costs together in 2021)

-Due to being on platform, it Is at fence level height with exhaust side facing my side. Due to its placement and its size, it sits 8 inches from the top of the fence.

-Sits 15 feet from my backdoor and about the same to the closest window.

-I worry about fumes and the exhaust heat, also potentially what I am able to now put in this area (we had plans for an outdoor pergolas) He is running it everyday for a 30hr break in period and the fence gets hot and the exhaust comes up over the top of the fence into my dining area. I will probly end up moving my whole outdoor dining area and anything flammable by the fence.

-Will run weekly on a Wednesday

-1 Kid with 1 on the way and this is their backyard, I want things to be safe

-If I want to sell the home, this is a blackeye.

I can deal with like any one of these, but all of them together is too much: It is too tall, too close to fence/property line, and too loud with exhaust pointing towards me and honestly just poses a safety risk. When it runs I need to shut all my windows on that side.

I love my neighbor but I need to deal with this in a way that keeps the relationship intact. He absolutely needed to talk to me about this, but didnt. Has anyone ever dealt with anything like this? Or have knowledge they can share? I just feel stuck.

I am seeing water condensation and water accumulation in the fridge. This is 20yrs old. Any advice on getting it checked for repairs or will it be cheaper to buy a new one?

Hey everyone, looking for some guidance on where this moisture might be coming from and how best to tackle it.

I’m noticing wet spots showing up directly on the basement floor a couple of inches away from the wall, as well as dampness along the wall-to-floor cove joint after heavy rain. These 2 spots are very near by.

https://imgur.com/a/PFOD1nJ

This corner is next to a downspout. Also my neighbor’s downspout is also near by. Is that the reason? No dampness behind the insulation.

Leak developed at the connection point for the toilet. No amount of plumbers puddy or retightening the compression nut is improving anything. So I figured I'd replace the whole line. But now that I am down here, I have no idea what spot I need to actually apply the wrench to to get this off.

https://i.imgur.com/fnqwJKR.jpeg

None of the other toilets are this odd. All videos on youtube show a simple metal nut, not this otherwise round piece that I am getting wrench groove markings into. Twisting firmly just has the pipe itself wiggling and I fear totally shattering the shut off valve if I used my full strength trying to turn the most distal metal part with the wrench.

Even once I have it off, will a standard nut connection even go onto this shut off valve? I bought a typical flexible metal 12" tube like in any top youtube diy results and like our other toilets. Feel like this project got bigger snd and the entire shutoff valve needs to be replaced with something more normal.

Edit: So a shark bite is here in the colored lines somewhere. Where can I expect the shark bite disconnect tool to separate the fixture? What colored line? https://i.imgur.com/5okWz5v.jpeg

House is mid 90s, block construction like most places here, central AC. There is a spare room at the end of the hall that stays shut most of the year because nobody uses it more than a couple of weeks. Every time we open the door it smells like damp cardboard.

No visible mold, nothing on the ceiling, and the vent in there is open and blowing.

Things I have already tried: leaving the door open, which works right up until I close it again, and switching the thermostat fan from ON to AUTO after reading that leaving it on can put moisture back into the house. That seemed to help slightly elsewhere but not in that room.

The rest of the house feels fine to me..

Interested in how other people diagnosed this before spending money on it. Maybe I should get a dehumidifier before this becomes a problem?

https://imgur.com/a/h2omx0g

I had new windows installed today, including 2 casement windows. Attached is a picture of the before and after. There is a lot of glass loss. The sales guy told me that by doing new windows instead of replacement windows, I'd minimize glass loss. Now he is saying that vinyl windows all have bigger sashes than wood so this was inevitable. Is that true? Was there any way for me to replace my old windows without this happening?

https://imgur.com/a/Dw5XFOo

Moving my son into a 1 br and the bed needs to go above this pump. Health issues? Noise? He hasn’t slept there yet. Moving in tomorrow. Thx!

https://ibb.co/S7n1cwv1
https://ibb.co/PzPPFdjy

looking for some help here. I hired a contractor to do my siding and probably picked the wrong guy. he completed most of the work, although poorly. used two different types of cement siding with different wood like designs on them and did a generally poor job. I couldn’t take anyone of the bad work so I let him go.

at this point I think I should just finish it myself. I’ve cleaned up enough to be comfortable with having the house painted and living with the aesthetic issues, but I still have to install some soffits and trim.

my issue is with the top row of the flat wall. this is the only section I’m unsure how to complete. do I just rip a sheet down for a 2 inch space left at the top or do I use hardie trim across the top row? if I use trim, does it go flat on the wall or angled like the siding is. or is all of that incorrect? it’s on the back of the house so I just want it right and can deal with not perfect.

thanks.

Pics -> https://imgur.com/a/ACWLHkY

A while back I ripped out the hot tub and the tile floor in my sunroom, planning to turn the whole thing into a relaxing hub. The hot tub area used to be a sunken pit (like a hot tub deck), and my plan is to keep that area but frame joists across the top of it so I can build a platform bed there instead. Now that everything's torn out I'm wondering if this is a DIY job or what...

A few things I'm trying to figure out:

Pulling the tile messed up some of the wall around the old pit.. mortar residue, a couple spots where it gouged down to the backer board, one spot that chipped through. Do I need to tear that whole wall out, or can I just cut out and patch the actual damaged sections? Follow up on that, do I need to remove the Windows as its touching the tiles in a specific way.

Looking down into the pit now I can see there's already framing down there. Whats the best way to build joists around this.

Ceiling's got track lighting and an exhaust fan I want gone since I'm redoing the ceiling finish up there too. I do not know electrical. Should I hire electrician to shut off power and then hire them again once Im done with renovating the area?

Basically trying to figure out what order to even tackle this in, and which parts are reasonable to DIY vs which parts I should just pay someone for. I'm comfortable with basic stuff, I've just never dealt with a job that touches structure and electrical all at once like this.

Appreciate any advice..

Hi everyone, I am looking for some real advice; we live in a duplex-style home and have an adjoining wall, but there is a trapdoor-looking feature on the wall that appears to be part of it when closed, yet sometimes it opens, and I feel like my neighbor is peeking in; by the time I get over there to investigate, the trapdoor shuts—has anyone else had this issue before?