I get everything is “relative” with costs…but I’m looking for other customer’s experience — not trades people

Note: this is in rural middle America

Since Aug Bank Holiday Weekend, we’ve been experiencing an airplane like pressure as soon as we walk into the house. It triggers our tinnitus (high pitched ringing & static noise) and I don’t feel this outside. It gets worse higher up in the house & on the top floor as well as at night. There is momentary relief when we use the hot water sometimes.

It started with a mechanical hum that I could hear throughout the whole house, and my tinnitus was triggered at the same time. An hour before it started I heard a squeaky pipe noise from the top floor wall.

The hum is still ongoing - loudest on top & first floor, not constant but lasts for long periods of time - especially after midnight but also during the day.

I don’t have an AC or a HVAC system (UK). Only a water tank in the attic. We have had 5 plumbers, 1 electrician and 3 Thames Water engineers come check - they say everything is fine and so is our water pressure. We can hear the hum when our hot water & heating are off and the pressure is constant but worst at night.

We live in a terraced house and suspect the source is from next door’s HMO with a loft conversion that is a studio with kitchen/bathroom facilities - the loft tenant mentioned that she doesn’t use the loft toilet and it hasn’t been working for over a year and uses the top floor bathroom instead. They have a combi-boiler in their garage-converted kitchen as well as a rear extension in the garden. I think in total they have 7 rooms - 3 en-suites and 4 studios.

I have done electrical & water mains tests in my house and with other neighbouring properties - but have not been able to do an electrical mains test with the HMO.

Please help it’s been 1 and 1/2 months of this and we’re sleeping on the ground floor as that is where our ears are the least triggered. Would appreciate any advice :))

https://imgur.com/a/fLWTGIc

Have a kitchen wall. It’s about 9 feet. It spans two trusses from what I can see in the attic. The trusses above it has a bottom chord that’s two pieces, tied together via a gang nail plate. I can see a very small gap between the trusses and the top plate of the wall. The wall runs perpendicular to the trusses. I don’t see any plates tying the truss to the walls top plate.

currently have a very old home that’s being renovated. one wall was taken down and we hired someone to put in an addition while the wall was taken off (so open to the outside but still inside the home). They used a circular saw to cut through about 15 feet of 9x9 asbestos tiles and asbestos linoleum which was overtop the tiles. what do I do now? is the house contaminated and how do I clean it if so?

My other question is that I’m staying in a RV trailer about 10 feet downwind from where this happened is the trailer now contaminated? my kids sleep in the RV sometimes when they’re there so I’m worried now for their safety. help I’m losing sleep over it😭

My brother is recovering at home right now and I genuinely never noticed how awkward his bathroom was until I watched him try to use it with limited mobility. High tub wall, nothing useful to grab, shower controls positioned like they were designed for an escape room. I’ve been searching walk in shower installation Rochester because he doesn’t need the whole room redone. For anyone who changed a bathroom after surgery or an injury, what ended up being way more useful than you expected?

HI Everyone

Looking to buy a new home and of course I can't find everything perfect lol

I found a nice home but the living room set up is a little wierd, and I love my big screen TV's

Here is the current set up.

How in the world can I fit a 65" or bigger TV in this space? I assume I can't cut out the middle of the wall lol

Just seeing if any ideas

Thank you

https://imgur.com/0hrZHRV

Old photo with it empty https://imgur.com/VdIdrFg

Hello! I have a few cracks in my drywall of a home built in 1990. Should I be concerned? If I were to hire someone, would I hire a structural engineer or general contractor to inspect/repair?

https://imgur.com/a/rV4JdgB

Ignore the black marker lines.

Hi all,

I’m trying to be as patient and understanding as possible, but struggling here and need to understand if I’m working with a bad company or if this is normal. I am new at this so definitely willing to learn where I can be better too.

We hired them to redo part of our bathroom and the total was roughly 16k (materials excluded besides the basic stuff) with 50% downpayment. This was the cheapest quote amongst 3, but still super expensive for us and we saved for a long time to make it happen.

We’ve had a series of issues since the beginning: for instance, both invoices I have paid so far were originally calculated wrong (too high) and I had to remind them to please fix those. I didn’t get an apology or anything but whatever I guess.

Then, I wasn’t told when I needed to order materials by (like tile, shower cap, tub filler) so one day I asked the guy when I should order those and he said asap because they needed them by like next day or two. I was flabbergasted and did what I could to get expedited shipping but this delayed the whole thing by about 4-5 days.

Then, I went to look upstairs and the tile in the shower niche was the floor tile and not the shower floor tile - when I asked the guy why that is, he said they didn’t have enough of the other tile as 50% of the tiles arrived broken so they just put the floor tile in instead. I was a bit upset and asked him to please let me know when that’s the case so that I can order replacements instead of doing something I did not authorize. So now they’ve wasted floor tile and time cutting that tile that I didn’t want there. He did apologize and said he was trying to be proactive.

A couple days ago I was told the floor tile wasn’t enough as half of it arrived broken too so I ordered more but now they don’t have anymore and I wondered why they didn’t tell me before that the tile came broken. Now we have to wait until next week till replacement comes in.

A while ago I had to delay the whole thing for 4 days due to a work trip and they said okay, so that was nice of them to work with me on that. Today though I get another invoice (wrong amount again, I pointed it out) but last month the guy said next payment will be due once all tile is in and tub is in, but none of those things have happened yet. Now he’s blaming my delay and saying I need to pay it anyways.

Any thoughts here? I’m really struggling.

Thanks

Hi, are track lights in living and dining room areas appealing today? What about sputnik and/or pendant fixtures instead? Trying to decide how to renovate. Thanks!

Looking to get a 2k sq ft paver driveway completed in Jan. What is the current price per sq ft? Or is there anything I should be on the lookout for in bids? It’s a rectangular shape with no crazy rounding design. It’ll be more narrow at the entrance but overall it’s a rectangular shape.

Context: our downstairs room with separate entrance, had compromised door and flashing, water got in from the rains under the LVP. LVP had no waterproof membrane. We found a company that preached remediation and renovation, gave us a contract, including hardie backer, flooring with 1/4 inch screws and porcelain tile for the room to ensure moisture resistance. All they have done so far is ripped out the flooring, ripped out the door, cut some drywall, and apply red guard to the bare concrete subfloor.

It’s been nothing but hell with them ever since. we found mold under some baseboards, cut the drywall, there is mold in the sill. Had it tested from a mold inspector. Stachybot. We’ve contained that area because contractor refuses to do any remediation???

Now I’m questioning all their practices because they said they do remediation but lied. I’m specifically concerned about the floor. Concrete subfloor, they’ve applied one coat of Redguard so far. Their plan is to install hardy backer with 1/4 inch screws, followed by porcelain tile and epoxy grout. Is this the right way to go? What about an uncoupling membrane? Should we get some other estimates from other companies? The rains are coming soon so we want the door put in, that’s the biggest issue. I’m thinking to have the contractors put in the new door, frame, and flash, and have another company do the flooring. Need some help here.!!!

I have a 2nd floor deck and its too expensive to replace. What is a more economical idea to keep a ldoor and have stairs outside? The deck contractor said just building stairs and a small landing outside of the door was going to be exoensive. Besides a spiral staircase, what else could I get?

Just bought an older house (1960s) with my wife, our first.

Upstairs bathroom, some water splashed out of the tub when showering. Discovered this led to a drip in the floor beneath, so the water got under the tub somehow. When the water was cleaned up the drip stopped. It also doesn't happen if there is no water that splashes outside the tub. The floor is this thick chunky somewhat uneven tile whose material I am unsure of.

Looking closer, we found that the caulking basically needed replacement, especially the line where the tub met the floor.

After buying some caulking removal tools, I have been hacking away at pulling out this dry and brittle caulking. With the type of tile and paint, it has been a bit of an ordeal. Underneath the caulking is what looks like an entirely different colour (a bizarre sky blue). So the previous owners must have painted it white over top of the original.

Unfortunately, removing the caulking has removed some of this paint. What product can I use to touch up the scratches that have resulted from the caulking removal? Is there some sort of filler paint I can use for this? I don't have to refinish this whole thing, do I?

I just want to seal the tub so it doesn't leak to the floor below if water splashes out of it again, but I also don't want these scratches to cause issues with the tub itself and/or the colour that it currently is.

If this description is inadequate I can provide pictures.

I currently have removed most of the caulk but there is some of this almost like caulk grout pieces left that I can’t seem to get out. What do you guys recommend? And at the top I’m not sure if it’s the same material or they actually used grout because my caulk took barely did anything. Had to take the old caulk off because a lot of the lower middle had hairline cracks. I have a title ceramic title shower.

Last summer, I placed a black floor mat against a window to block sunlight, and the glass cracked, apparently from the heat buildup.

It's a double-pane window, and only the inner pane is cracked. The crack is near the middle of the glass (see photo). The outer pane is still intact.

I'm not trying to make the crack disappear. My goal is simply to prevent it from spreading or the glass from eventually falling apart, if that's possible.

I'm considering applying clear glass repair tape over the crack. Has anyone tried this, or found another DIY method to stabilize cracked window glass without replacing the entire pane?

I'd appreciate any practical suggestions or experiences.

I’m a renter. We live in a 1940’s ranch home. Despite having normal, modern door knobs on the external doors and bathroom, our landlord is insistent on these crappy, useless crystal knobs for our three internal bedroom doors. They never stay tight, they pop off constantly, we have two doors with no god d*^% knobs because we can’t get them to stay in. They’re not even authentically vintage - they’re from Home Depot. I need to have working doors so I’m just gonna do it myself.

Can anyone with any level of expertise here let me know if there’s anything special about these doors or if I can just go pick up some standard door knobs?

https://imgur.com/a/s4jiZXo

I know there is a stud here. My kids pulled the screws out and now it just spins as if I’m drilling into drywall. I can put it in at an angle and it hits but now it exposes the previous holes and just want it to look nice like it did before. If I drill into the old holes it does catch but barely, is it possible I just need longer screws now that it pulled out?

We had some damage to our basement due to a burst pipe and have had a VERY long road to getting things started again. We are using insurance and I've been going through their preferred vendor which has been a nightmare of an experience. When work has been done, its been great for the most part (amazing tile and drywall subs) but the GC has done some work that has been less than stellar.

They recently reinstalled the original shower glass back into the newly redone bathroom and the metal trim (track?) the glass sits in somehow stuck out 1/4 of an inch on the floor past the glass. It was the original trim and all I can think is that they didn't do a test fit and butted the floor trim (track?) the reverse of its original placement. They sent their installer back to fix it today and he did the work while my wife was home working and I was at the office. I returned back to find the trim (track?) cut back to the glass but it looks bad. They mangled the trim, put a nick in the brand new tile and managed to chew up the glass.

I assume that the only fix here is to purchase new glass, new trim and have them install that while replacing the tile? Any other options I should be aware of?

https://imgur.com/a/hsnh0GX

Hey everyone,

We recently had exterior work done (new stucco layer/siding), and when the contractor went to reattach the original downspouts, they said the gap to the wall is now too large for them to reach properly. They mentioned reinstalling the old ones might crack them, or they can supply new ones.

Looking at how the downspout connects coming off the soffit/fascia, is this standard practice after adding wall thickness, or should an extension/offset elbow handle this easily?

Appreciate any insight from anyone who has dealt with this or does gutter work!

Downpipe example

I’m redoing by pantry/storage/laundry room and I’d love to install proper cabinets/shelving with some counter top area. I’m trying to keep this on the lower end budget wise so I don’t want or need high quality cabinets, I’m thinking pre-fab MDF type (the kind that those closet systems are usually made of). What kind of counter tops should I be looking into? I don’t need a stone- it’s not an area that food prep will be done but I do want something that’s low maintenance and durable (because, kids). Any suggestions for where to look for this?

I have a Mueller metal home with R panel siding that is rusting along the bottom (the first 12 to 18 inches or so). It is two story so I'd rather not replace the entire sheets. I'm trying to think if an "after the fact" wainscoting repair would work, or even be possible. Anyone tried this, or have a better solution, please feel free to comment.

Really stuck on this one. If anyone has any advice please help! There is a black mudroom door nearby that is tradional wood, painted black. House is white. Door hardware is satin brass. Smooth or textured finish?! Smooth is $500 cheaper.

I recently bought a condo that I am updating. I have decided on these two options. I will be painting the whole room, replacing the toilet, flooring, and light fixture at some point.

Current status: Imgur Images

(Budget) Paint the current vanity, add drawer handles, replace the sink and top with an all in one. Replace the mirror with something slightly smaller with a border.

(Expensive) Since there is a large gap between the vanity and toilet, making it so the toilet paper holder is a bit of a reach, replace the whole vanity and top with a 48" option, maybe with a modern legged style so it sits on the new flooring. I feel like the gained counter space would be nice, along with bringing the toilet paper within reasonable reach of the toilet. It used to be on the other wall in front of the toilet and got in the way of getting out of the shower.

Any pros and cons to either option to consider?

Our baby's room has been feeling pretty muggy at night, and I've noticed condensation on the window almost every morning. I've been running a Veagaso dehumidifier in the room for a while, and so far, I’ve noticed the condensation has improved.

One thing I've noticed, though, I'm still figuring out the best placement for the unit and cord with a crawling baby.

For those with a nursery or baby's room, what humidity level (RH) do you usually aim for? Do you run your dehumidifier overnight, or mostly during the day with the door closed?

https://imgur.com/a/sXxjGhE