I finally decided to get a dehumidifier for my basement because it always felt damp, and there was that musty smell that seemed to get worse after rainy days.

At first, I wasn't expecting it to make a huge difference. But after letting it run for a while, I was honestly surprised by how much water it pulled from the air. The basement feels much more comfortable now and doesn't have that cold, damp feeling anymore.

I've been keeping the humidity somewhere around 45-50% and letting the unit turn on and off as needed instead of running it constantly.

The only thing I'm not a huge fan of is having to empty the water tank. I'm thinking about setting up a continuous drain, but I'm still figuring out the easiest way to do it.

For those of you who already use a dehumidifier, do you keep yours running all year or mainly during the more humid months? Also, did you notice much of a change in your electricity bill?

Can a whole house (2600 ft^2, 3 story, No attic) fan be effectively  installed in this window (30 x 45 in) at the peak of a skylight? Live near ocean in Southern California where evenings are usually cool from breeze. (See post in r/hvacadvice for photo)

We just purchased a home and will be remodeling the master bathroom which is on the second floor. What should we do/ask the contractors that we interview?

Important items

- Mold: Terrified of mold. Best way to prevent mold? Are there special boards or water proofing to be used? What exhaust fans should we buy?

- Tiles: We like the look of large format tiles. Minimal maintenance type tiles? We are looking at porcelain and minimal grout lines.

- Design: Turning the tub into the shower and making the small shower a closet. Any red flags with that idea? We would replace the counter top, but the vanity is in good shape. Better to rip out for new vanity or just rebuff and stain?

- Fixtures: Any specific material/brand to recommend?

Anything I missed feel free to let me know. Hoping to stay under $25K

https://imgur.com/a/8GH1Xqc

is this pipe freeze damage, or something else? if so, can i replace just the portion that burst, or should i replace the whole baseboard run?

I have a neighbour that used to own my house. He installed the irrigation system about 12 years ago. Years later he subdivided the property and sold my house to someone else, and then just finished building his house on the other lot 2 years ago.

He has now dug up an area to put hedges in and is claiming my irrigation line has encroached his property and needs to be relocated asap.

Do I have any legal obligation to move the irrigation line that is A: installed by him B: he chose the property division knowing where the irrigation was ran and C: is technically grandfathered in and he dug it up without my consent?

Thanks in advance.

BC, Canada

Has anyone bought a cheap scoping unit and done this DIY? Maybe Harbor Freight, etc. I was just quoted $145 for first and $70/each after. This would total about $360. I’d love to do it myself and have to the tool available for future use if possible.

I have a really old gorgeous armoire that belonged to my grandma. Its in rough-ish shape (stain wise) but otherwise is in good condition. Its a very very very deep reddish brown, which I actually love but my bathroom is very small.

I dont want to paint over it, or alter the original stain, but i do want it to match ny bathroom more since right now it sticks out like a sore thumb.

I was thinking of the renter-friendly wallpaper ive been around? Would it damage the wood or no?

Stink bugs keep getting into my attic — how can I get rid of them permanently?

Hi everyone, I'll get straight to the point: I have a huge problem with Asian stink bugs in my attic.

I've already sealed every single hole, crack, and possible entry point I could find, but they still keep getting inside. I constantly find them in the attic

Has anyone dealt with the same problem and actually found a permanent solution?

What I really want to understand is how they're still getting in despite me sealing all the visible openings, and what I can do to stop them from getting inside once and for all.

Any advice, personal experience, effective methods, or things I should check would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My neighbors backyard is about 4-5ft higher than ours. When we moved in a few years ago there was already a 3 ft retaining wall built about 4ft from the fence (see photo), but the dirt within is sloped and when it rains the water passes over the dirt and flows straight into our pool and yard, causing the pool to get dirty and the side yards to flood. Ive gotten a couple $30k quotes to install drainange and an additional step retention wall between the fence and existing wall.

What are our best DIY options? We’re thinking of making the existing retaining wall higher so its flush with our neighbors yard and adding some drainage between the fence and wall, but I’m not sure how practical that is or if that’ll create too much weight pressure on that tall of a wall. Adding an additional wall would mean we need to rip all the plants out and do a lot of digging.

https://imgur.com/a/GSDDKkI

I am bothered by it not being attached level to the post. I want to ask him to redo it the same as the one on the left where the post attachment is level. What say you?

https://imgur.com/a/Y9LdVRZ

So... I have got a project and have not sure the correct route to take.

I live in an old house made of entirely concrete, I have recently ripped out the ancient carpet with the plan of replacing the flooring. Underneath said carpet is just a concrete slab. I have discovered several cracks in the slab that will require fixing as well as uneven parts that need to be leveled before putting in new flooring.

My main concern is: not screwing it up and ruining the new flooring down the line. Not sure which sealant method/product i should use with the cracks being indoors and eventually will be underneath flooring. And also not too sure about the leveling. I am trying to avoid flat out grinding the uneven parts to become level as I am indoors and that will make a gigantic mess.

My initial plan was to seal up the cracks and do some sort of self leveling concrete in the uneven areas, but am not to sure how well those would both work together? Sealant with concrete over top.. will that cause issue?

Basically I have no idea where to start and only have found conflicting advice or simply no videos on the specific issue I have, most tend to be outdoor concrete and not a combo of cracks and unevenness with the addition layer of adding flooring on top.

Any advice would be much appreciated :)

Is there a risk for putting a baffle in every soffit/joist?

Trying to prevent ice dams.

Won't be able to fully air seal

Just moved into my rental and the ‘stem’ part of my table is wiggly, as shown in the video. There are 3 screws in the bottom which were a tiny bit loose but even after I tightened them it’s still wiggly. The table is unusable because it’s so wiggly god forbid you eat on it, the leasing agency won’t do anything about it smh. The glass top popped off but that’s a separate issue I’m just gonna stick it back on with gorilla glue or some other glass adhesive.

Please help!

Edit- ok I actually can’t add pictures/ videos but to describe it’s a metal table with a flat square bottom piece and a thick cylindrical ‘stem’ bit which is screwed into the bottom piece, akin to a wine glass. The stem is wiggly AF.

I live in a students dorm, my room is 20 square meters and I have silverfishes on the walls and floors. I vacuum every 3 days and I also change the air a lot besides using traps since months and spray them. The problem is that this room has a lot of open spots in the walls near the ceiling and once they are in your room they don't go away. The dorm doesn't care. Is a dehumidifier my only hope? what do you think about COMFEE Dehumidifier 12 litres/day. Please let me know, I'm losing my mind they are disgusting.

Got a quote today that made me choke on my coffee.

We've got about 600 square feet of original 1970s oak hardwood on our main level. It's under carpet right now, but we pulled up a corner and confirmed it's actual 2-1/4" red oak in decent shape—some scratches, a few stains, but nothing that looks like structural damage. No water damage, no major gaps. Just needs sanding, staining, and three coats of poly. Pretty standard job, as far as I understand.

Guy came out, spent maybe 10 minutes walking around, took a couple measurements, and emailed me a quote this morning: $8,200.

I was expecting maybe $3,000–$4,000 based on what I've seen online. I know lumber prices are high and labor isn't cheap, but this is literally almost $14 per square foot just for refinishing—not even installation. I checked with a couple neighbors who had similar work done last year and they paid around $3.50–$4.50/sq ft.

I asked for a breakdown and he just said "includes sanding, staining, sealing, moving furniture, and disposal." No line items.

So my questions for the pros and experienced homeowners here:

• What's a realistic price per square foot for a basic sand-and-refinish job on red oak in a medium-cost area?
• Is there something I'm missing that could justify this number? Like is 1970s oak somehow harder to work with?
• Should I get more quotes (obviously yes), and what specific questions should I ask each one to make sure I'm comparing apples to apples?

Also—anyone have experience with DIY sanding and refinishing? I've watched about 14 hours of YouTube at this point and I'm starting to convince myself I could rent a drum sander and figure it out. Tell me why that's a terrible idea before I do something stupid.

My Soffett under cover is sagging with the thin strip holding it up having the nails pulled out. I want to try to repair this myself. I'm a real amateur at repairs. I was going to buy a Brad Nailer but was told no, that 18 gauge nails had too small a head to hold it up against gravity over time. So, my questions are:

1. What type of strip is it that is used under the Soffett to secure it?

2. Is the Soffett covering too warped to try to resecure? If so what kind of wood is generally used - it is quite thin.

3. What type of fastener to use. I am old and not very good on a ladder so I think a traditional hammer will be too hard for me to lean back and work over my head - that's one reason I wanted to use a Brad Nailer.

I hope to just fix this one section that is bad and not around the entire house. Probably drive the better fastener every few feet around the whole house as a preventive measure. For reference the house was built in 1969 and I believe all original materials in the Soffett.

Thank you all in advance for any and all advice!

YIKES! I FORGOT THE PHOTOS! I WILL ATTEMPT TO PUT THEM IN A SECOND POST.

I'd like to add some lighting to this basement apartment living room and attached bedroom - currently only lit by a 3-bulb flush mount light, a fan w/ integrated LED, and a teeny window (that will soon be upsized to a proper egress casement). It's fit for cave goblins but not humans.

I think I want to install recessed retrofit E26 can lights (not integrated LED or pucks). The living room space is 13x17 (8' ceiling) and the bedroom is long and narrow, 8' x 18' (~7'6" ceiling).

The ceiling is double drywall on I-joists, and I have access to the cavities from an adjacent unfinished basement so fishing wires will be pretty easy.

What am I missing here? What would you do? (flooring and paint are already part of the plan)

https://imgur.com/a/ZIa0S49

We added a room in the back of our house, with a deck off of it. We just realized that the deck seems to have been very poorly designed. Basically it is a hollow concrete rectangle with boards on top. We are afraid of water pooling under it every time it rains leading to stench and eventual structural damage. We're not sure if there are any simple fixes or what should be done. Image below is prior to putting some composite boards on the top, but best indicates the structure.

https://imgur.com/a/9SI1D4W

My water heater has broken down, and is located in the attic. Is a heat pump water heater feasible for an attic? I'm in South Central Texas, so not in a super hurry - the water is not very cold.

I think the very hard water here contributed to the failure (lots of popping or cracking over last couple years). This will be the third water heater I've had during the 12 years I've had this home. So I would like to add a filter system for the line going into the water heater, but the system would need to withstand Texas heat in an attic. A water softener system is not feasible due to weird layout of plumbing lines going into my home. Any advice for that issue? Thanks!

My GC recommended a tile person that already did a stucco wall for us and did a very good job. I like the guy seems good and works hard. He showed pics of his work on really nice looking jobs. After planning to use Tile person i learned he does not have a contractor or business license. What are my risks in using someone that does not have licenses? Its about 300 sf of tiling a master bathroom and $9-12k in OC, CA. Thoughts pls?

Hi all,

You’ve probably seen my other posts. Currently working on adding back subfloor under a toilet due to a failed wax ring. Should I waterproof the plywood before laying it back down, if I will have a cement/backer board over it?

I can’t find good info on if I should or what to use. Thanks!

What do we do about this? They have just finished it a couple days ago (not completely done everything but grouted) and the pooling is very bad, I expected a bit because it was tough for them to grade and I already made them redo it when they were setting it but now its clear that it still was not good enough. At the worst parts it looks like the pooling is like 1/4 inch deep…

It’s not possible to fix without damaging waterproofing membrane? They used the schluter niche.

Yes I wrote my contractor about it, I am awaiting a response I just want to see what my options are and what is worth pushing and what isn’t.

Here’s the video of me trying out the working hot water and broken cold water faucet handles. https://imgur.com/a/RiNYCka

I have no clue how to remove the faucet handle cap to check inside. I do not know the model name for this type of sink faucet, so Googling does not help.