Anderson windows is on crack if they think they are going to pitch a $25,000 dollar front door On 3m dollar home i don’t think so. $2,500 to 5k tops. Maybe if the door turned into auto bot .

I know the answer is yes. Any tips for doing this? We don't have a sink or drain in our basement. I'm a little nervous about burning the electrical elements and having a $5,000 replacement bill.

Edit: water heater was installed new fall 2024.

My electricity bill seems to keep creeping up, even though I've been trying to avoid wasting power at home.

I've been wondering how much difference changing my electricity usage habits can really make, and whether adding solar panels or a home battery is worth considering.

I don't want to spend a ton of money on a setup only to find out the savings aren't that significant.

What have you guys tried that actually made a noticeable difference in your electricity bill?

Hi, I'm a student renting a house with roommates. Our front door lock has been extremely difficult to lock/unlock the past month. Landlord came to check and said that it worked fine, but admitted to struggling too. It's so hard to lock and unlock that it feels like a full body workout trying to do so. I was told that they can't change the lock because it's an old house and lock which makes it hard/not possible to change. I lowkey think that this is BS, but if there's any truth in this, please let me know. Thanks!

Edit: I just started college and this is my first time living alone. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about renovation and stuff! I'm afraid if I do anything myself, I'll mess it up and it'll be an even bigger issue.

I'm getting a new Amarr Lincoln 3138 (solid, insulated) garage door through Costco and was planning on the LiftMaster 6690L opener.

The installer who measured told me to skip LiftMaster and buy a Chamberlain from Home Depot instead, since it's the same company and he has seen them go as low as $100. He also offered to install it for free.

Is he right that LiftMaster isn't worth the extra money? Which Chamberlain model is the closest equivalent to the 6690L?

Professional radon mitigation in my area runs about $1,800–$2,600 (I asked on Nextdoor but didn’t get many real-world quotes). I have an empty sump pump pit — no pump was ever installed in the 40 years the house has been standing, and we’ve never had any flooding. The pit is only a few feet from an existing dryer vent.

A radon sump cover is ~$60 and a fan is ~$160. With some PVC pipe and fittings, I could put a basic system together for around $200 and temporarily vent it out the existing dryer vent hole (I’d just pull the dryer duct and use that opening — no splicing or splitting anything).

I’ve been monitoring with an Airthings Wave Plus for over a year. Levels usually sit between 0.5 and 4 pCi/L. I’m mainly curious to see how a vent would actually affect the readings for a week or two before committing to anything permanent. Because this is still just an experiment, I don’t want to run pipe up and over the roof yet (it’s a split-level, not very high) or permanently secure anything to the exterior wall.

If I keep the windows on that side of the house closed for the 1–2 week test period, is venting the radon out the side of the house (instead of above the roofline) a major problem?

How long has your Duravit acrylic bathtub lasted since it was installed in your bathroom?

I’d love to hear about your experience, including how many years you’ve had it, how well it has held up, and whether you’ve noticed any scratches, discoloration, dullness, or other signs of wear.
I’m contemplating whether to get an acrylic bathtub or a Schmidlin titanium on steel tub, but I really like the depth of the acrylics only if they will last. I’ve heard that acrylic tubs can flex or bend more, potentially causing issues with the surrounding grout or even leaks over time.

Would you recommend it for long-term durability? Thanks for sharing your experiences!

If I see something like 10/12/06 on romex I can tell when approximately this stuff was rewired or installed or built. Around 2006 in this case.

Also this is how the inspector knows that you're lying when you say this unpermitted work was done by a former owner.

I’m doing this on my parents behalf, since they are not able to.

They bought the house ~20 years ago, with an unfinished basement. They had the bedrooms finished, but not the room with the breaker box. Said box is missing the safety cover. It has a flip-down cover over the entire thing, but if you flip it up, all of the wiring is visible. I think the easiest way to fix it is to either buy the cover that would have come with it originally, or to just replace the entire thing.

Would either one of those need permits? (I know it can vary by city, but I’m not sure if unfinished work counts)

Up until this point I’ve kind of just been shooting spray foam into the gaps of my windows, assuming that everything was properly installed. Quickly discovered that there was no proper sealing when I saw foam running past the exterior trim.

I honest to God have no idea how these are mounted because I don’t see any shims in the gaps do I see a newer style flange sitting on the osb. In this video, I’m pressing against the trim from the inside and there’s no flange and the OSB stops further down midway through this horizontal 2 x 4 in the frame.

In any case, nothing seems to be properly sealed or flashed hence why I’m seeing a lot of my exterior OSB rotted out near the windows. Is my only recourse to add OSB and extra framing and then reinstall the Windows after proper flashing?

https://imgur.com/a/pg1Z1Jn

Does anybody know which dish water​​​​ setting I have to use on a Bosch 500 to get rid of the stench of stinking rotten dishwasher soap on my dishes ?

Trying to insulate garage before freezing temps. About to rigid foam board the foundation walls. How do I work around this window? Foam board around it then just drywall over the wood frame?

Recently bought a house from the 60s. One of the bathrooms has a walk-in shower with walls that look like green toothpaste schmear lol. Probably some sort of budget-friendly glue-up wall panel? I can’t wait till I get to pick out tile for it, but unfortunately, I have lots of boring projects to take care of first… As a small shower improvement in the meantime, I am considering taking out this built in shower seat and putting a freestanding wood bench/stool in that spot. Is there a way to remove the seat without damaging the shower walls/floor?

From what I can tell, the seat appears to be made of the same material as the walls. It’s roughly two 20”x20” squares attached to the walls to create ledges, and a quarter-circle piece of the same material resting on those ledges with a vertical piece of trim as a support in the middle. Photo probably helps: https://imgur.com/a/xRE0jQd Sitting on the seat it feels very sturdy.

Can I peel up the calk and pry the pieces off? Will that crack the shower walls or floor? I’d appreciate any advice! Thank you in advance!

Our older home had a wood burning stove built into the fireplace when we moved in. It was a huge eye sore so we removed it and put in an electric insert. Also our daughter has some lung issues so we don’t want to burn wood in the house. Is it doable to replace the electric insert with propane logs? I know we would have to run a line from a tank to the house. Appreciate any insight.

Hi everyone, looking for advice on a contractor dispute in California.
The Backstory:
• I filed an insurance claim for bathroom/remodel repairs. The insurer issued a check for $9,713.95.
• I hired a contractor and ultimately paid him $13,400 across 5 Zelle installments (meaning | spent $3,686.05 out-of-pocket beyond the insurance check).
• No written or signed contract was ever executed for a $20,000 job.
The Dispute:
• The contractor is now accusing me of "insurance fraud," falsely claiming I received $20,000 from my insurer and pocketed the difference.
• His demanded balance keeps shifting: first he claimed I owed him on $20k, then $16.5k, and most recently texted asking for "at least $3,000" for upgraded vanity cabinets, higher-grade shower walls, and trash removal.

He bought these "upgraded" materials and did trash removal on his own initiative-there were zero signed change orders or prior written approvals for these extra costs.
Action Taken:
• I sent him a final text with blacked-out copies of my $9,713.95 insurance check statement and all
5 Zelle receipts ($13,400 total).
• I informed him I paid in full for our agreed scope, won't pay for unauthorized change orders, and that all future communications must go through an attorney.
My Questions for the Community:
1. Does a contractor have any legal ground (e.g., small claims / mechanic's lien) to sue for
"upgrades" installed without a signed contract or written change order?
2. Is there any chance he could legally attempt to remove/repossess installed fixtures (vanity, shower walls) from my house?
3. Should I proactively file a report with the CSLB
(Contractors State License Board) or wait to see if he actually pursues legal action?

First time homeowner, need a full roof replacement, three contractors coming this week. I have the obvious stuff covered like license and insurance and timeline but I know there is a whole list of things I do not know to ask about yet.

The roof is asphalt shingle, probably original from the early 2000s. What did you wish you had asked before your replacement?

Hi I've painted an MDF tabletop with Zinsser B-I-N Advanced Synthetic Shellac Primer, followed by BEHR Urethane Alkyd Semi-Gloss Enamel, we made sure to do light coats, but for some reason even with some 45+ days of dry time if I put a heavy object on the tabletop it still makes what I would call a "smudge" I can't get a good picture of it (I've just been testing small spots) but it essentially looks like a flattening of the sheen on the pressure points, it's not making a deep texture change, for ex, you couldn't feel it with your eyes closed, but it's a dark blue paint and it just looks like a little chalky spot or something but won't rub out or come off with windex, the rest can be wiped with windex etc and all looks good.

The rest of the top is not gummy, I can't push it and make a fingerprint or anything, but very concerned what will happen when I go to put a computer on top or drag a laptop. I tried letting some cornstarch sit on it, which didn't seem to change anything. Does anyone know what is happening? How to fix without repaint?

I suppose it depends on its history, right?

We recently had a contractor install a Masonite 20-minute fire-rated steel door between our garage and mudroom, and I'm trying to figure out if I'm being too picky or if something isn't right with the installation.

The door makes a pretty noticeable creaking/groaning noise whenever it's opened or closed. It's not the usual squeaky hinge sound, and I've tried white lithium grease without any improvement.

The bigger issue is that the spring hinges won't close the door all the way unless it's opened almost completely. If you open it partway and let go, it'll swing shut but stop when it hits the weatherstripping without latching.

I did notice that if I leave the overhead garage door and exterior door open, it closes much better. With everything closed like it normally would be, it doesn't. The contractor says it's just air pressure and that he can't change the physics of the house.

I also noticed one hinge is missing a screw (the other two have all four), and another hinge doesn't seem to be sitting completely flush against the frame.

The contractor says the creaking is normal because of the tension in the spring hinges, but I'm having a hard time believing that's the whole explanation.

I'm not a door expert, so maybe I'm wrong here. But I'd think a newly installed door should close properly without having to leave other doors open, and I wouldn't expect it to creak this much.

For anyone who installs doors, does this sound normal? Is air pressure really something the installer can't do anything about, or should they be checking the hinge adjustment, frame alignment, etc.?

I'll attach some pictures of the hinges and a video of the door opening and closing.

https://imgur.com/a/LKA2QCL

How do I get this dial knob off to access the screw underneath

Dimplex TS931

https://imgur.com/gallery/eBMYtRd

we just had our tank overflow because of clogged filter, so off comes lid, grab handle of filter, pull up, and guess what, T is attached too close to sidewall, won't come up because of rounded lip of tank. I managed to get shop vac crevice attachment in to suck filter clean, but that's sure a pain. anyone think I could dig down outlet side, cut pipe and push in an inch? 20 year old poly tank. I don't know if there is a gasket, or a formed stub out. if gasket, do you think I could get it to move after 20 years.

My family is redoing our kitchen cabinets soon, and I’m curious what we actually need when it comes to primer, color, and clear coat. We are on a budget, but want to do it right so we don’t have to do it again/fix stuff later. I’m not stuck on using Behr as the brand for our color coat, but I do want the same color we picked. Product suggestions are very welcome!

For reference, we have three young boys, two big dogs, and a cat, so the kitchen takes some abuse. Planning on using Behr Premium Cabinet/Trim in “Village Green” which is a medium grey-green. Cabinets are bottom tier Cabinets To Go cabinets, so current paint is factory done. Top cabinets are currently beige, bottom are currently navy blue. Top cabinets are 31sqft not including backs of doors, bottom cabinets are 45sqft not including backs of doors/drawers. We are only painting the outsides, the boxes are wood tone and will be fine as they are.

Given that the cabinets are factory painted, do we need primer, or can we skip to clean, scuff, and color? If we need primer, is there a good option that will last but won’t break the bank?

For the color coat, how many coats are usually required? Can we get away with one? Is there another paint that works well but is cheaper than Behr Premium?

For clear coat, which type/brand is best? Do we need more than one coat?

How do we estimate the actual sq footage once doors/drawers are added? Should the current sq footage just be doubled?

Any help is very appreciated!

My bathtub needs to be re-caulked but I’m not sure what to use since it meets up against the drywall. I have white silicone, but read it may not stick well to the drywall. Thoughts or suggestions?

Seems like everyone is sketched out by the fact that our washer and dryer is currently in our basement on a carpeted floor. Is there anything you guys would recommend putting underneath them to make this less sketchy in case of a leak or something like that? We are also installing a laundry sink directly to the right of the washer dryer. Should that have the same type of thing underneath it?