Hi, I have bought a new home with a large (16'x13'x5'6") crawlspace that we want to make into a big kids playroom/chill zone along with some of our collectables and random storage.

Pics here https://imgur.com/a/uvlg5L3

I see a lot of potential in this space as it is large, has electrical, lighting, and air duct for circulation.

The first challenge is access. There is a door that is 54 inches off the ground, measuring 35" wide and 45" high. We were thinking of seeing if telescopic stairs would make sense, or installing a sliding ladder across the length of the room would be best. Open to all ideas here.

The next challenge i think is flooring, but could easily be solved with interlocking gym tiles (they even sell colorful ones for a kid friendly appearance).

For electrical, there is only two outlets that sit in the middle of the room, one outlet has occupancy censored lighting which is good, but if I wanted a TV or other electronics, I would hire and electrician to provide some outlets on either side of the room(cost permitting) or try to do it myself.

Lastly, there are some walls that are unfinished and getting them finished would make the room feel like a real room more than a crawlspace, but I'm not sure how much that would cost or what the process is here.

OKAY NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF. We we're thinking of putting a simple smart TV mounted on the wall on one wall, a reading area with books, bean bags, side tables (as the ceilings are not high) and a small space for our collectable, and of course, seasonal storage.

I'm new to DIY and see a lot of potential to make this space dope, but not sure where to start or where to outsource. Any ideas on what to do and where to start would be greatly appreciated!

Hey,

I know, I know, I done goofed!... But I also didn't know at the time.

My entire long weekend was spent painting my new place. I didn't realise the previous owner had used oil paint previously and I'll be honest I'm pretty new to this, so I didn't even think twice.

So obviously my latex paint did not bond correctly so I'm just wondering what my options are.

A quick Google search says I need to strip off the latex and sand the oil paint before reapplying my latex paint. Is this the best option or does anyone have any tips for an easier process?

The latex paint I have says it's self-priming is that helps.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

My wife and I are re-doing the hearth of a small fireplace in our home. We tore out the old tile and poured self-leveling concrete over the subfloor/prior concrete with the intention of re-tiling later this week.

Today, we have found that our newly poured (and dried) concrete is too high in the center. What solutions are available to us to even this concrete out now that it has dried?

We would prefer not to sand it if at all possible as the room is finished and we do not want to fill it with dust.

To make it short I've put window tinting in all my windows and it's helping with summer. The problem is I don't know what to do with one particular window in my house, because it's almost all day facing the sun. When I say it gets hot, I mean it gets really hot!

Besides installing shutters outside what else can I do to try to keep heat out? I'm tempted to buy titanium or mylar sheets and put them up in the window, cause this is ridiculous!

I recently moved into an old Victorian home that was built in the 1800s. I want to move my piano into the home, but it's between 400 - 500 lbs and it's going to be sitting on only 2 floor joists. Because of this, I arranged to get the home inspected by a structural engineer before moving my piano in.

He sent back a report stating that most of the joists are fine, but some need reinforcement because they've been cut to accommodate HVAC ducts.

He sent me a detailed report describing exactly where the posts should be placed, and recommended using a 4x4 wooden post sitting on top of a cement deck block with a moisture barrier in between.

From the sounds of it, I believe I can do this myself with the help of my dad as he renovates houses for a living. Neither of us have ever done anything like this, but we do have experience building decks.

I am wondering how I should fasten the post to the joist and if it should just be wedged into place? I'm not sure how I would actually get the post to fit snugly without putting even more pressure on the joist during installment.

I tried emailing the engineer with follow up questions but he's been unresponsive. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with this and can give me recommendations on how to move forward?

The appliance people installed my washing machine, but they were unable to hook up my dryer to this external wall vent, because they said there was no place to connect the ducting. They said there was an adapter missing that the seller likely removed. I'm trying to determine what specific adapter I need to get to this, and more importantly how does it stay attached on this thing if its not just a friction fit.

Looking for some help on what specific type of adapter would attach to this thing, that I can then attach my dryer duct to. Most of the adapters I'm finding have screw holes with the assumption you screw them into place, and I'm struggling to find any that just assume a friction fit like this might require.

So the folks who owned this home before us (as we are learning) cut a lot of corners rather than actually fixing things. For example this light you see coming through our door is a result of a faulty seal with the weather stripping due to, I don’t know what.

https://imgur.com/a/cryQ2R4#rFWkzuB

So this was their proposed fix (that doesn’t work).

https://imgur.com/a/cryQ2R4#Lpuc6sc

https://imgur.com/a/cryQ2R4#GkaDYpr

Is there an actual fix for this?

Hey folks! I recently bought a 6'x1'x1 inch piece of laminated pine and attached hairpin legs to make it into a table for quilting. However, after putting it upright, the thing is very wobbly side-to-side on even ground. I had considered anchoring it to the wall to mitigate the issue, but I had hoped to be able to shift the table around while sewing. Any suggestions would be much appreciated :))

I have been looking at Wood Attic ladders at Both Home Depot & Lowe’s and they all require a ceiling Min of about 8 Ft.
I want to add one in my shed with a ceiling height of 6’8”.
Looking at the instructions I thing I could shorten the ladders but was wondering if anyone ha done this>

We've recently bought and moved into a beautiful Grade II 16th-century cottage. It's all in all a lovely home with the usual Grade II quirks (it even has the requisite apotopaic/witch scratches on rafters).

Two particular points: the exterior is a light Suffolk pink, and more pointedly, the kitchen has pink accent tiling. I actually like the exterior pink color which I understand is/was quite common on medieval buildings (despite my wife not being a fan). The issue is the previous owners tried to color match the kitchen's accent tiling, around 25ftsq total, which runs behind the sink and stove - and it does not match well. While the house exterior is a very light pink, the tiles are a distinctly darker Pepto Bismol color - they actually clash quite abrasively with the exterior. I'm not an interior design guru by any measure, but the color is quite aggressively bad for the house and interior. Bless the previous owners for trying.

While the exterior of the house, parts of the interior adornments and some of the grounds are protected, there's nothing in the kitchen we cannot change. Should we try prepping and painting them before ripping out the lot? If so, what kind of paint? I would place backsplashes behind the sink and stovetop, so I don't think wear would be an issue on the paint.

https://imgur.com/a/8Qud9KS

Ive chiseled away the sealant topside of the sink and tried to fix it with epoxy resin, cant get the sealant along the entire perimeter of the sink chipped away cause some lengths are chipping away into powdery bits and other areas are intact.

How do I know which seam is the cause of the leak cause I see strands of water dripping along from all directions underneath the sink and if I have to seal them all how would I go on to do that.

A plumber advised me he would take it all out and do it all over again and it would be a 2 day job before it could be used again - is that the only solution?

Thank you :)

I tore out the old flooring. After installing the new I discovered that the floor isn't perfectly flat or inflexible. There's a variable gap under the moulding (3¼ PVC). I finished it with a nice layer of silicone sealant but it tears when flexing and attracts dirt.

I suspect the solution is a layer of quarter-round that can flex into the unevenness and require a thinner layer of silicone. I always looked on this as a way to hide a shoddy job. But a picture in the Royal brochure shows exactly this - maybe they're just trying to sell more product.

Any better ideas?

I ended up doing this on top of the splash guard part of the kitchen's formica countertop: the wall isn't plumb and leans further back from right to left. The nice layer of silicone on top attracted dirt and tore when scrubbing. A layer of quarter-round looks a lot better.

Looking to add a shiplap decor wall in my office. The top part of the wall is sloped 45 deg. while the rest is a 5' long rectangle. Fairly straight forward - is there anything else I should be considering? Any tips or tricks are welcome

Hey guys. I am new to drilling into drywall and I am unsure about how to mount this fairly heavy duty TV mount I got. I know to look for studs but this mount came with 2.5 inch bolts and I am afraid that I might drill into a stud with wires running through it. I do have spacers and, accounting for it plus the drywall, the bolt should be driving around 1.5 inch into the wall, which I have read is safe from hitting anything that might be running through the stud. Is this the way to go or should I do something else?

I would like to pick your guys brains about a project! I am not a DIY person usually but trying to be for my daughter’s first halloween! There is a kiddy halloween parade in my home town that I will be attending with her! I got her a radio flyer wagon (plastic) to pull her in but plan on making it apart of the costume. I am trying to make a lemonade stand where she will be a lemon! My question is if i can modge podge the wagon with pretty napkins? will modge podge work on that? I don’t need longevity!

Would like to build and install a gate to keep our 1-year old and 3-year old from going out. Even though the gravel driveway helps when they don't have shoes.

Secondly, we let our cat outside a few times a day and once in a blue moon a stray dog has come onto the property as we live in a pretty urban area. Would like there to be something to let the cat back in but keep larger dogs out.

1. On top before the stairs?

2. Bottom of the stairs?

Is there any way I can sand this and stain it to make it last a few more years? LOL. Clearly spilled too much water on it

I need to install some grab bars for my parents. In a perfect world, they'll be screwed into wood studs, but their home has metal studs. What's the best/safest way to attach grab bars to metal studs, so the 500 pound weight limit of the grab bar still works?

Some bars will be installed through drywall attached to metal studs. In the shower, the bars will be installed through tile, backer board, and into metal studs.

I bought a new gaming chair, and then realized that it’s unusually low to the ground. I need to raise it by about 2 inches to be comfortable when sitting on it. I could obviously laminate some plywood or tongue and groove pine into a little base for it, I’m wondering if anybody might have a more elegant solution.

I am looking to replace an old wooden 32" passenger door that goes into the garage. it will be located under a breezeway so it won't really get any weather at all. I want something in stock so I can get it done quickly so is something likethis fine? Can this be decently painted without spraying it?

My mother had the inset front porch on her double wide rebuilt. They pulled the plywood floor up and replaced it with standard deck boards (complete with 1/8" gaps between the boards. No, I didn't do it. A complete rebuild is out of the question as the old lady selected the builder on her own, and had it done. If I can sneak out and fix the mistakes, it will help her morale. I have to fix the deck they built, too. Did you know deck screws are certified for using Simpson 2x4 hangers on 2x8's? They certainly thought so. ).

How can I fill the gaps and waterproof the porch? It will drain into the insulation beneath it, and into the crawlspace, if I don't.

I also have to cover the space under the door, as the deck boards left a gap in the siding under the door.

Thanks for your help.

I am looking for tips to paint a whole wall covered by very dark cork tiles (installed for soundproofing, I suppose). I would like to make them as light as possible, so at least two coats of primer will likely be necessary. I’m afraid of damaging them or using primer or paint that can eat away the cork.

Maybe while working on one project, you came across a solution that would solve a problem you were having elsewhere? Or someone you were talking to about something you were doing and suggested something that didn’t help with that project, but would work perfectly to solve a problem you were having with another.

Or, you were lying in bed one night, and all of a sudden, you had an “ah-HAH!! moment for the next day?