Hi everyone.

The front porch of my parent’s house is sinking considerably, leaving cracks and gaps in the concrete and brick. Wasps have found their way into some of the cracks and built a nest. I’m also worried about rodents entering the home/basement from these cracks (we have had rodent issues in the past but I’m not sure if this was ever their entry point).

I fully recognize that the most permanent and correct fix is to have a company install helical piers down to the load bearing soil to lift the porch back into position. However, we have been quoted $30k - $50k from all companies that we got estimates from. My parents don’t know if they will live in this house for much longer so investing that much money into the home is undesirable. Does anyone have recommendations to seal these gaps to prevent wasps from building nests in the cracks or rodents from entering?

Thank you!

I can't figure out how to change this light. I've tried pulling it, but it's not coming out. I've tried turning it, and it turns about 50% of the way, and I pulled gently as I was turning but nothing. The entire frame is the same except for one small space, shown in the second picture.

Help! Please and thank you.

Question for any roofing experts. I live in California, with a flat roof house, and have an 8 year old single ply bitumen roof (house was flipped when we bought and this is what they installed, it had a 5 year warranty). We got it inspected for the first time before the heavy rains this winter, and were told we should replace it with a 3-layer mod bitumen system (20 year warranty). We really don't have any leaks, sometimes just a small amount of rain will come through the bathroom skylight (and wind), but we're talking like a tablespoon or 2 of water during a storm. Is this something we should do before the heavy storms this year or is it not needed? The roofing people are (of course) telling us we will have issues with the single ply. Thank you!

Wife and I purchased a beautiful 1987 build home not to long ago - notice this staircase cracking above the garage door. Is this something I should be concerned about? I’m looking at fixing it up to prevent further damage/water issues, I’m wondering if this is a simple DAP filler styled job or if this should require something else. Brick Veneer, looks to be wood frame, this again is located above the garage door. The left side garage wall also has similar cracking but doesn’t seem deep from what I saw.

I noticed about 5-6 of these in the ground of the east side of my front yard. About 2-3 inches wide. There are no other spots that have these

How much would it cost to install a screened patio enclosure with aluminum frames in Austin, Texas? The patio is approximately 15 ft × 10 ft × 11 ft, with two sides already enclosed by existing walls. I’m looking for an estimate for enclosing the remaining open sides with aluminum framing and screen.

Does the premium have a more robust lifting/lowering mechanism compared to the standard? Or is the build quality better in some other way? I know the Premium has more color choices and additional options like which side the tilt wand is on and having a ring instead of a wand. But I'm not worried about any of that. I just want to know if the actual build quality is better.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bali-2-1-2-in-Premium-Faux-Wood-Blinds-503464/205361190
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bali-2-1-2-in-Faux-Wood-Blinds-734793/343180710

Hi all, looking for some experienced feedback on what this discoloration on my grout could be. I suspect it's mold but just thought I'd get some input to be sure. Anyway to treat this without regrouting? Thank you!! 🙏

Basically the title. SFH in ON, CA. Want to reduce cold (and hot) air coming from outside.

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!

My roommates and I are confused about these holes noticed recently. One is a perfect circle others, not. No signs of mice or bugs inside by anyone and the holes do not go all the way through. Not sure if this is the right reddit page to post, but any input or a redirection is welcome!

Got quoted $6k to fix two pads of my sidewalk. What is a more reasonable quote? I’m just gonna do it myself if it’s that expensive.

My wife and I are considering buying a home, when looking at the house, we saw these cracks on the garage floor. Looking into it, I've already seen plenty of the "only two types of concrete" mantra. I didn't think these were cause for big concern, but don't know enough about concrete to be sure. They run the full length of the garage floor, it looks a little worse at the front (second and third picture). There's nothing else above the garage, or below it. Single family home in Wisconsin.

Should I be worried about these? Or are they nothing?

My garbage disposal runs for a few seconds, then shuts off and the red reset button underneath pops out. The unit also feels a bit hot.

After waiting for it to cool down, I can press the reset button and it works again—but the same thing happens repeatedly. It seems to be jammed since the water is not really draining when it runs for few seconds.

Any ideas what’s most likely causing this, or what I should check first? Is this a DIY fix or time to call an expert?

Many of my light fixtures and now one of my outlets is producing condensation and therefore mold. My husband and I just moved into this home at the end of May. It has been issue after issue and this is the latest one. We are already having to pay an exorbitant amount to replace all the AC boots for new ones because none of them are sealed and producing condensation and I am guessing this is why it’s happening to other things as well. My question is - has anyone ever had this issue before? What on earth do we do? We are first time homeowners and I am feeling so overwhelmed.

I hired a plumber to pick up and install a new water heater covered under warranty. Apparently the supplier gave them a higher end model than the warranty replacement model and completed the install. I paid the plumber already and now the supplier is saying the serial numbers don’t match for the warranty. Do I tell them to kick rocks? It’s clearly the supplier’s mistake for giving the wrong model to my plumber.

Help! We’ve diverted water and dug the window wells down more but still get water like this when it rains very heavy. Should we caulk outside and inside? What can be done? We end up pumping the water out of the window wells but it’s not feasible all the time. What do we do??

Should I be concerned with these gaps in the siding? We have lived in for 4 years since the first inspection and I don’t know when it started.

The biggest crack is about 1/4 inch wide and there are a few dozen of these on one side of the house. This is in Seattle Washington

Edit: I found the inspection report which describes this as LP siding. I poked in between the gaps with a key and there is a tarp-like membrane of some kind, which did not feel like metal. It was too difficult to get any pictures in such a tight gap. The siding itself is 1/2 inch thick so it was pretty deep to get anything in there.

I've tried using locking pliers to twist the back of the handle off but I can't remove it. Plus, the toilet is directly under a built-in shelf that extends out of the wall and somewhat limits my access/maneuverability in the tank area.

I've tried twisting and pulling the damn thing off but all that did was warp the rod that extends to the flapper. I don't care about it since I want to replace it anyway. What are my options here?

EDIT: Like everybody said, I just had to do righty-loosey. Thanks everyone! New handle is on!

I am considering purchasing a home with a patio that was poured over the vinyl siding. There is no visible internal damage at the moment. Patio was poured about 15-20 years ago.

One water proofer had major concerns over this. He said to walk away from house if they would not remove patio and check behind. Other water proofer said that it’s technically incorrect and can definitely have issues but since there’s no visible damage after all this time it may be less concerning but it’s always a risk and can’t know what’s back there without opening it up. But he doesn’t think it’s necessary to do that unless we see damage going on inside the basement it home.

Mold remediatior said the same as second water proofer. More damage would be done inside if there was an actual issue with the way the patio is poured.

The patio is slanted away from the house and down toward the grass.

Any advice or insight would be helpful just trying to see the risks and likelihood there’s a big problem behind the siding. Thanks!

Hi anyone who possibly have this knowledge,

I plan to renovate my kitchen in an COOP apartment 3 months ago. My contractor told me I have to do architect drawing for this project in order to get the permits from the town of North Hempstead 2 months ago. Now the town send me msg that I should apply the permit for Commercial building instead of residential building which was done falsely by the architect.

My question is that anyone with similar experience can tell me if apply the permit for commercial building for my renovation, do I still need to do architect drawing?

Hope someone can answer my question. Every bit info is wholeheartedly appreciated!!