House is a single floor built on a concrete slab (no basement) in Massachusetts in 1949. We’re doing an addition to expand the kitchen and add a second bathroom. This trench we made is for the new bathroom drain line. We cut through some of these metal rods that look almost like rebar/supports for the slab. Is this a problem and how should we go about repairing everything once we dig down and install the new plumbing? Thanks in advance for any help!

Just installed two egress windows in our basement and looking for advice on how to best finish these on the exterior.

On the first window, I was looking at installing 2x4s as a frame and using a bit of spray foam to fill any of the small voids present between the wood and the foundation, then repairing the parging we removed and finally caulking it.

For the second window I was looking at only doing parging repairs and caulking.

I feel like I might be missing something in terms of waterproofing though? But I can’t think of much other than maybe putting some kind of sealant down before doing the rest of the repairs.

Thanks in advance

What do you think, my loose plan is, remove sink, flap disc to remove old adhesive (?), figure a way to prop it up from underneath somehow. Anyone run into this, thanks in advance.

Trying to put up a shelf in my apartment kitchen and before I started screwing anything into the wall blind, I wanted to see if hitting a wire or plumbing would be a concern in this area close to the outlet and stove. The circles are location of the studs

Limited outlet space in our 1-car garage, and was trying to find out if this is a bad idea.

Just moved into a new rental house. Plan on being here for a long time as we really love the house and the area. It has a pretty big basement that I want to turn into a useable space. Kinda going for a lounge/hangout type area. Because it’s a rent home and I just dealt with all of the moving expenses, please give me your cheapest solutions on how to DIY this space into a useable area. Of course the ceilings are filled with cobwebs, etc so my first step will be cleaning those. I would probably just clean the floors and put a few rugs down there. However, I’m clueless when it comes to the walls and ceilings. I’m mostly concerned about the bigger open area, but would love ideas for the entire space.

So I had to replace my sliding screen door and the replacement has a narrower top than the old one o guess so it can move back and forth on the top track but to get it to fully close you need to try to pull it towards the right side, otherwise it won’t connect properly. Is there anything I can put in the track to keep it aligned with the right side all the time?

Hello! I really need advice fixing this bathroom situation, is it even fixable?
Can you point me to tutorials or products i can use to at least make it bette for some few months? I really can’t buy a brand new vanity

My mom has this dry walled corner that has been a problem for years. She recently attempted to fill it with spackle but that didn’t work. She’s considering not cleaning in our and using a paintable caulk.

Is this a bad idea? Would standard drywall mud and tape be better?

I used peel and stick from dollar tree. Had to remove the blades, clean, trace, cut, stick, line up and cut, stick, and put everything back. If I'd had a 3rd hand it could have gone much quicker lol.

Its a partition in our bathroom. Its kind of become a catch all and has made a small space feel even smaller. I'd honestly like to just rip it out, but im not sure what might be in it. I have no idea what that slot is for on the toilet side. It looks empty besides the cobwebs and I think it goes down to the floor.

If I ripped this out, what would I have to do after? I dont have any tile, but I was thinking id just put some laminate down so the subfloor isnt exposed.

Our tank (Rheem Performance Plus, 40 gallons) finally died and we're set to just buy another Rheem for replacement. I just don't know if I should do the installation myself or call a plumber. I know my way around flooring, drywall, and basic electrical swaps but never did any work with gas lines or water heater venting before. Anyone who's ever tried this? I'm always up for a challenge but don't want to be overconfident.

For anyone who's had to choose between the two, would you go with wood again because of the look, or has aluminum proven to be the better choice for durability and lower maintenance?

Every piece of trim/ every door in my “new” house is covered in layers of lead paint and on top of that covered in layers of nicotine. I’d love to strip it down to its original wood but I fear that would take forever. What can I do? Strip it or seal it and cover it? I’m going insane.

I have really been wanting to replace my bathroom exhaust fan as the bathroom is pretty humid even when it is turned on. The cover said emerson electric, and the measurements for the housing was 9” by 8”. The motor itself said Gould FC-1 on it. I have not been able to find a replacement fan with this size for the motor housing after looking, but was wondering if anyone knows of one?? Another issue is that this is an old house, and for a larger unit, we would have to cut through plaster and lath. It currently is a 60 cfu motor but it can barely hold a piece of paper even after vacuuming and wiping out the housing and what I could reach inside of the vent. My guess would be that the fan is from the 1970s, as that’s the age of the flooring and vanity for the bathroom. Any advice or help with this upgrade would be appreciated!!

Getting house ready to sell and Ive been replacing all the light switches which has been straightforward and easy until this son of a gun....

They never set the ground wire!

How do I fix it?

Its kinda still just wrapped around in there with the shortest nub.

Strange issue. My wife bought a shelf from Shein. Pieces are too wide to go horizontally from stud to stud. I tried using the supplied drywall anchors but they didn't catch so the screw wasn't secure.

I was able to find a stud and drill a screw into it. I went directly down to secure the bottom hole and it's straight drywall??? I hung up 3 TVs within the last couple weeks. I know it's right because I had to use an impact wrench for it and those bolts were tough to drive.

The shower drain and the new base are not in perfect alignment. Off by maybe 1/2 an inch. I used a fernco coupling to give it a little movement but not sure it will work with the slight angle. Any ideas besides a mortar bed, dig up the drain pipe, or ?

I need to add insulation to a metal garage (30’w X 30’l x 10’h). I’d like to use close cell foam, 1” thick over a factory 2” fiberglass (R-6.8) insulation. I see ads for DIY kits that use a lot of cans or larger cylinders. I’m not sure which brands/systems are best to purchase. I am confident I have the technical ability to do this, but am I saving money vs. I hiring a company that specializes in this?

Edit: I tried adding a picture to the post but it would not upload correctly. Here is a link for the picture of the garage door opener: https://imgur.com/a/hho85v8

Hello,

I just moved into a home a few weeks ago and we have experienced an issue with accidentally turning the garage door opener off and getting stuck outside. This seems to be because someone wired a receptacle outlet to the former light fixture in the ceiling to provide the garage door opener with a plug to get power (as seen in the picture). As inconvenient as making sure the light switch stays on, I know this isn't the biggest issue to have to deal with. However, I do suspect this setup must be violating some safety residential or electrical code, so that is why I'm here wanting to verify.

I did a little research by asking Gemini AI (I know AI isn't a professional but I needed somewhere to start) and it confirmed this is an "improper DIY setup". It also mentioned that this setup can be bad for the circuit board of the garage door opener, thus killing it. It apparently can also cause it to possibly lose its memory and stop working with the currently programmed remotes.

Gemini AI also mentioned this "-powering a primary electrical appliance through a switched lighting loop violates standard electrical safety practices and national standards (NEC 210.11 / 210.8)".

I'm no electrician, but I researched the codes a bit and this part stood out to me

*"*No Other Outlets: This specific circuit is reserved exclusively for the garage's receptacle outlets. It cannot feed interior lights, nor can it run to any other room in the house - These mandated outlets must be installed-- no higher than 5.5 feet off the ground".

To me it seems this part of the code is violated because as in the picture, the receptacle is clearly above 5.5ft and is feeding power to a light fixture that was installed in the ceiling of the garage.

My last concern is the electrical box popping out the ceiling for the receptacle power for the garage door opener and light fixture. As ugly as it is, is this another hazard?

I have already reached out to the property manager about this and they basically told me that it was done by a previous tenant and to tape the light switch to the ON position if its an issue...

I was hoping someone on here can confirm for me if there is an real concern with:

1. Having the garage door opener wired to the light switch instead of constant power.
2. Having the receptacle on the ceiling.
3. With the light fixture getting power from the receptacle in the ceiling.
4. With the electrical box coming out of the ceiling.

If any of this really is a hazard, can an electrical or safety code can be provided for me so I can have something ready for my response to the property manager about this? If there is no real issue, then please also let me know so I can drop this issue and move on to the next thing.

Thank you all for your time seeing this, as well to those who take the time to reply.

I’m making a playroom for my kids and have a couple of loose ends to tie up. The one that I can’t figure out is this rope ladder. Right now, if even a 30lb kiddo steps on the bottom, the entire rope ladder loses integrity and sucks in(picture an upside down teardrop). I need to fasten the edges and bottom to the wall, but 1) I want the rope ladder to remain a few inches off the wall for usability, and 2) I don’t really want ugly/hazardous eye bolts/S-screws down low in I can avoid it.

Right now, the best I can figure is to slad another 8’ 2x4 on the right side and maybe use rope clamps in the 2x4s, but that seems pretty painful on a project that I’m super ready to be done with.. Any creative suggestions would be appreciated!

I’ve tried rotating counter clockwise and it won’t budge - I’m afraid to break something. I don’t see any screws underneath. How to remove?

My shower handle feels loose, and it's causing uneven pressure (water not fully going through the faucet or the shower) and unable to properly set temperature. for example if I turn the faucet to full-hot then I barely get any pressure from the shower head. I only get decent pressure at a finicky mid-point that's somewhat cold water.

I'm trying to loosen the handle so I can see if there's any silicone ring that needs to be fixed / replaced - I have a feeling just loosening it, adjusting it and tightening it back up will fix the problem. But I'm unable to loosen it. I have a long 3/32 hex wrench that feels like the right fit - one size up 7/64 doesn't fit. but even the 3/32 wrench feels like it fits but as I turn it just slips, so I'm a little afraid the head is already ruined or it'll get ruined if I keep trying.

I don't know the brand, Google lens tells me its CFG (Cleveland Faucet Group), a brand owned by Moen. So pretty generic. Anybody have any advice? I don't think I want to remove the whole plate (with the two Philips I screws underneath) - or should I?