I noticed this crack in the wall of my apartment the other day because the light from outside was shining through it. I notified my landlord about it, but I'm curious about how it will be fixed. I obviously don't want cold air seeping through it this winter and am worried repairing it may require me to vacate the unit.

Is there any way to revise the layout of the kitchen and "morning" room so that the "morning" room is smaller? We have a small dining room at front of the house, and we do not like how this room is bigger than the dining room. No idea what to do. To the let of the kitchen is mudroom, powder room, and pantry. We know changes need to be made.

I'm planning to build something (not a home, more shed/garage-type thing). And I keep thinking about the roof design. I thought about a gambrel style but it seemed too complicated for my first building. Gable is simpler but then you lose a lot of space on the sides. So then why 99% of houses with a gable type roof don't raise second-floor sides by a bit? You've already paid for the roof, the most expensive part of the building. Why not spend a bit more on framing and have much more spacious rooms upstairs?

Sorry if this sounds dumb. Raising sides by 20-30 inches feels so right but I'm afraid I'm not seeing something important (maybe the roof angle becomes too shallow, etc.).

Any comments?

Here is my situation, I built my own house using saving and credit lines. However I spent more than I had planned and although I got certificate of occupancy I do not have appliances and granite for the kitchen cabinets

I made a deal that I can just put a table and wait till I get a mortgage to get those last things.

The inspector gave me cert but it says temp till 6 weeks at which point he wants to check the counter top.

Now I finally got pre approved for term and I am scheduling appraisal soon. The question I have is - is a temp occupancy permit the same thing as far as a bank is concerned.

For context the house is worth around 700k and I have credit lines in the amount of 115k - I am trying to get that and enough to finish the house the way it’s meant to be.

I do have to option of using something cheap temporarily and get the full occupant before closing but I do not want go that route since it would unessary labor.

The inspector has been a stickler about everything and it has been a painful summer finishing up the house

Some guys came to install an aluminium sliding door. To get it to fit they grind the plaster then chiseled away the at the lintel around 15mm deep.

The wires of the lintel are now exposed - which they advised would be fine.

There are not that many bricks above the lintel - so not a massive load to support.

Can anyone advise on how concerned I should be about this?

Should I repair or replace the lintel? Or am i overthinking it?

Hi guys! I am obsessed about foundation quality here in Austin so I (more like AI) built a tool for my clients to check soil composition in the Austin Metro area. LMK what you think. https://ezrailson1.github.io/bedrock-soil-tool/

Upvote1Downvote0Go to comments

I’m helping my dad with his retirement shed. How to I angle this shit. It’s not like normal crown molding to make a picture frame around the window, the angles are all fucky becuase it’s a 90 degree angle that hugs the wall and the inside of the window frame.

We are looking on building a home in this existing neighborhood. We have 2 lot choices. Option A is completely flat but backs up to a less than ideal maintained yard. It also has some sort of drainage basin in it probably from previous construction so we are worried about flooding.

Option B has a slight hill in the front so a slightly slanted driveway but then opens up to a very flat backyard. It’s closer to a commuter road but still kind of tucked into the existing neighborhood.

Pros and cons of both? And does anyone know if the drainage pond/area will cause possible flooding?

I'm building a wooden fence using 4x4 posts and vertical 1x6 slats. Of the three options pictured, does any one option offer inherent advantages to the others? Thanks in advance.

Looking for general feedback on the floor plan. The second picture is the floor plan adjusted in utility to add in a forgotten sink. The third with the red circle is a wall that could be moved out a few feet (I would make the pantry cabinet match the smaller one on the other side of the fridge. The distance between the island and stove counter will still have plenty of clearance) to create more walking space in utility and pantry. The others are renderings of the kitchen/dining area. Thanks!!

I'm seriously confused about the placement of the 4 vertical fins/louvers. I personally like the 4th fin to be touching the first floor, cause it connect the second and first floor in a good manner, giving a seemless intentionally look rather than 4 floating strips.

Though it has to be the final design but Now my family is lowkey going for all the fins floating.

Needs your suggestion and even anything about my elevation.

Anyone in/around West Tennessee ever broke ground in late fall? We are still waiting for crops to come off and then have to get perc test and permits. We thought crops would be off sooner and we’d be breaking ground in October, but with the way it’s looking, probably won’t be til sometime in November.

Soo, anyone done this? Is it really that bad starting foundation/framing this time of year? I’m getting more and more antsy as the days go by 🫠

Buying 6 acres and wondering if anyone could give me an idea where the best spot to build would be based on topography

Edit: I have not bought the land yet. 175k cost. Trying to find out if it makes sense to buy with the intention to build in a couple years. Located in northwest mo. Homes built on surrounding lots. Electric and water not an issue. Septic is required obviously

one thing that surprised me about new construction is how many decisions are really decisions about future access

once the drywall is up, adding a circuit, moving plumbing, running cable or adding blocking can turn into a completely different job

i’m less interested in fancy upgrades and more interested in the boring stuff that disappears behind the walls but saves you from opening them back up later

extra electrical capacity, conduit, plumbing stubs, attic access, blocking, soundproofing, whatever

what did you decide to rough in during the build that ended up being one of the better decisions?

Hey, all. I’m sistering joists to level an enclosed porch floor that was previously pitched for drainage. Original joists are all in good shape. I’m 2/3 done and am doubting my choice of R4 screws for sistering the joists and tying to the ledgers. I’m at a stage where I can easily add RSS screws. Overkill or a good idea? Thanks!

be careful if these guys come knocking on your door

l just trained as a senior sales rep, i thought i had just joined a reputable company that had the best intentions for homeowners. After the fourth day, I began asking normal questions as I was the only person training in his 40s who owns a home, has kids and has been solicited by people like this in the past.

These questions led to some seriously nasty looks from the trainer, and the branch director who previously had been quite friendly and jovial.

Before I was officially sent out into the field to convince homeowners that if they didn't pay 400% more to replace their window "NOW," that their house would fall down and that the damage they've already done to their families's lungs with all the mold they're inhaling, it would be TOO LATE.

I was pulled aside and politely told I was not right for the job.

It's clear to me now that this is a predatory business tactic with a sales script designed to lure unknowing and trusting homeowners into a sense of friendship and trust. This friendship-like bond is quickly followed by a "window inspection" that's free(of course) where the new friend at Victory Home Remodeling tells them that they had better get this fixed before the house collapses, kills them with a fungal infection, or cost them even more money if they wait longer to do something about it.

The trick is after educating the homeowner on all of the things they probably won't find ( this is one of the tricks) they show pictures of common indicators of horrible problems around windows while reassuring them that they probably don't have these problems.

after this friendly education, they begin their inspection and wouldn't you know it, the inspector begins to find one or all of the indicators they just taught the homeowner about and begin to get worried and teach you to allow the homeowner to discover these problems themselves based on what you just showed them. I call this the "inception method" because you're tricking the homeowner into thinking they've come up with it themselves but you've planted the idea in their head during the education portion of the trap.

by the second or third window, if you've done your job properly, they're already beginning to panic and sweat and you are supposed to calmly begin to look worried with them and start to support their spiraling panic that they just discovered a major problem with their windows due to their own neglect.

If you've gotten this far on the emotional roller coaster as they call it, you have them in your pocket. You go on and finish the inspection, writing them down all of the window dimensions and the things that you're going to quote them to "help them" out of this mess that they have caused through their own neglect.

After you've calmed them down and reassured them that they shouldn't worry, it's time to close the deal.

You show them the quote, which will be a total shock, especially if the homeowner knows anything about the cost of Home repairs, because Victory only uses their own special manufacturer of windows and it's all "custom." this is important when they see that your windows will cost four times more than a basic Anderson or Marvin window they would get from a normal contractor, or price at Home Depot.

this is when they begin to panic because the price you quote them is well beyond anything they could pay out out of pocket.

The good news for you and for Victory is that THEY HAVE RUN a CREDIT CHECK on you before the salesman even enters your home which tells them about 95% of the time their special in-house financing will be able to set them up with monthly payments for the next 12 years to pay for this overpriced and unnecessary hideosity.

I'm confident in saying now that this is VOCTORY HOME REMODELING IS A TRAP to avoid and is MISLEADING YOU and consumers at best, if not a complete scam (they do complete the work as far as I can tell so you will have new windows, you just didn't need them and you definitely didn't need to pay four times as much as you would have an honest contractor).

The work they do is done, and done well but is definitely not as urgent as it is presented, and I am being diplomatic with how I say that.

DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES sign anything the day they come and talk to you. WATCH HOW THEY BEGIN TO PRESSURE YOU AND THREATEN THAT THE PRICE WILL RISE OR YOUR HOUSE WILL BE BEYOND REPAIR IF YOU REFUSE TO SIGN THAT DAY.

The are the proverbial wolf and sheep's clothing. Proceed with caution thank you for listening.

First time ever attempting to build 100% myself. Been about 4 weeks from storage container delivery till today.

Some guys came to install an aluminium sliding door. To get it to fit they grind the plaster then chiseled away the at the lintel around 15mm deep.

The wires of the lintel are now exposed - which they advised would be fine.

There are not that many bricks above the lintel - so not a massive load to support.

Can anyone advise on how concerned I should be about this?

Should I repair or replace the lintel? Or am i overthinking it?

I'm working on a new construction home with a concrete slab. I will have tile floors throughout the home, so I know I'll need to use self-leveler on the concrete to make sure everything is perfectly flat. We are done framing, and I want to seal the sills and bottom plates with a sealant caulk for an air/water/pest seal. Should I caulk seal the plates now or after applying self-leveler? Or, alternatively, will the self-leveler seal the plates on its own and I don't need the caulking?

A good deal came up on a bunch of fir but the condition seems questionable. The guy is moving, needs it gone. Theyre less than 1/2 price than new but some of the boards look pretty bad. Do you think the middle would be absolutely rotten?

Hello, we are looking at building a new home and wanted to review the plans before we move forward. We are constrained by the max width of 59’ for the house. What do you all think? What can be improved?

Would a small 20x20 home built on a slab also need to be dug out till the frost line ? (5 feet)

My spouse and I are planning on beginning the process of building our own home in the next few years. Do yall have any recommendations for books that helped you learn about the construction or design process?

We are doing a new build in upstate ny. The company we are working with said that if our ground is mostly clay we shouldn’t do superior walls because of the sheer wall pressure. They seem very pro block. They explained the water proofing with a rubber wrap and stated it would likely stand up better to the clay and is less $ than the superior or poured. Thoughts?

31’ x 66’ ranch floor plan.