I bought my house in May 2025. The inspection went well, and I was told it had good bones. Fast forward to this year, and I find out they did an overall bad job on a lot of things. The bathroom wasn’t painted with the right kind of paint. They installed a rainfall shower-head that got water everywhere. There are cracks in the paint. Today, I noticed a spot hidden behind the toilet that’s bubbling out. The caulk has already come loose and water got under it. I not have to call a mold inspector because it smells rank near it. They didn’t do a good job caulking the sink either. There’s no backsplash or anything against the wall and it’s a small, shallow sink so water gets everywhere. I’ve already had to redo the caulk and it’s lasted longer than the job they did. I was going to repaint the bathroom so I’d been ignoring the cracks in the paint since they weren’t bad and I got a shower head that doesn’t hit the wall anymore. But now I have to deal with that one bubble and who knows how bad that’s going to be.
Also, I found out they basically just put anew frame over rotted wood for my back door. My dad just told me to leave it alone because no house is perfect. But is it genuinely that hard to make sure you caulk well enough that water damage doesn’t happen? (Adding here that they didn’t caulk behind the kitchen counters either. And those are butcher block).

I do genuinely love my house, but the amount of fixed I’ve had to do because of flipper laziness is annoying. And now I get to find out how bad the water damage in my bathroom is. I’m hoping I saw it soon enough that it won’t be horrible. But who knows.

We have 4 doors that need to be replaced. The current doors measure 31 and 7/8s inches and 23 3/4 inches wide. Doors are not currently made this size! The only doors I can find are exactly 32 and 24 inches. How do I widen the frame that little bit with minimal effort and mess? I've been doing a lot of DIY work on the home before we put it up for sale. Im an emotional mess with everything that's going on and I'm exhausted and overwhelmed. The doors are one of the last big things I need to get done and finding out that installing these doors comes with this extra step is sending me. The thought of sawing off that little bit of wood and the mess it's going to make is freaking me out and causing a lot of anxiety.

Edit to add... We do not have money to hire anyone to help. And I need advice that will cost very little, preferably nothing at all. I want nothing more than to have the money to hire someone to do this for me.

2nd edit... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! We're going to get a hand plane and remove a sliver from the doors. Y'all have no idea the weight y'all took off my shoulders. So grateful for everyone's responses! I love y'all!

My step son just moved in with us and he’s a teen and has been taking the longest and hottest showers to the point steam is even puddling outside the door this only occurs with him I have tried to talk to him and put in a bigger exhaust fan too. I want to turn down the hot water heater it was on 130 what should I turn it down to? Any other ideas?

NE ohio here. I got a good house last year and I can tell how much better it is than my old drafty apartment.

For the most part I got away with having to heat it a lot less than I did at the apartment I had, which also used electric baseboard heaters. But I had to rin them so much to even stay comfortable so my bills were always $300+ for electric for a few months in the winter.

Well my first winter in the new house was much harder than the winters in the apartment. For the most part the house has good insulation and isnt as drafty so I didnt have to run them like I did in the apartment. But this past winter had a lot more days with temps in the single digits or even negative digits than the winter before. So between December and February my electric bills were almost $1k.

Are minisplits worth the investment? I know when I first moved in I had a quote from a company called A to Z plumbing and they said 3 units would be between $12000-$14000 and my monthly payment would be around $160-$200 a month.

I thought about it but decided to test my first winter and see how the house did in the cold ajd what my average bills would be. For example running my thru-the-wall ac unit in the living room ALL day and night my bills at the time ranged between $50-$80 bucks.

So i didnt want to spend more than $200 a month for several years just to avoid high prices in the winter if i could help it.

Then i saw just to stay at a comfortable temp for myself, pets and my pipes it was almost 1 grand for just 3 months

I bought my house in 2021 and the gas water heater was noted to be 20+ years old. We can’t find a date on it but the inspector noted it looked quite old and mentioned we should be prepared to replace it.

We had our furnace/ac replaced a year ago and the company did a free 1-year utility maintenance inspection which included draining the water heater. Due to the age of the water heater the technician said he could not touch it based on their company policy and the risk of damaging it.

I have never drained or replaced the anodes on it. Should I be doing the maintenance or should I just let it sit? I have a budget to replace it but if it’s working fine for now do I even worry?

I do have a floor drain near it in the event of a failure.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Our 1964 kitchen has knotty pine cabinets we want to keep. Floor is black laminate. What kind of counters should I get? I’m learning changing counters would require losing our backsplash (which I love). What would you use?

Our house was built ~10 years ago. It’s a nice home, but you can tell the quality just isn’t there…

We purchased the house in the fall, and in the area we live, that’s the 2 months out of the year with perfect humidity.

We had the carpet replaced in the bedrooms, and the old owners had replaced the LVP 1-2 months before they sold. We saw there were 2 cracked tiles in the bathroom floor but didn’t think much of it.

Now that we’ve lived here a couple of years, things are starting to get a little rough. As the air dried up in the winter, we started noticing a lot more creaks and squeaks in the floor, both under the LVP and the carpeted areas. The tiles in the bathroom started popping and grout started coming loose in chunks. On certain areas of the carpet, you can feel that the subfloor has popped loose on an edge and if you step just right you can feel it and it will “snap” back into place.

My SO is a very big guy, and the areas where he walks the most (his side of the bed, closet, etc) seem to be worsening much quicker than the others.

The main issues we are having is that we’d like to retile our 2 bathrooms with the tiling issues in the next 1-2 years and hold off a few years on the rest of the flooring as it’s relatively new and we like it a lot. Is this possible? I have never dealt with home remodels before so I’m not sure and I don’t want to sound like a dummy or get taken advantage of by contractors. In hindsight, we should have had the subfloor fixed before the carpet, but the issues didn’t start up until after the fact.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Bought a house in November. Need new windows as ours are 29 years old, wood, warped, can’t open/close half of them. Have paralysis by analysis with window replacement. We have 25 windows and a couple doors.
- Weatherguard quoted us for 65k
- Renewal by Anderson quoted us for 100k

We are open to any and all options from a totally different company to buying windows and using a contractor.

Our house has EFIS stucco around more than half the windows being replaced as well as having very big and unique window shapes.

Any suggestions/experience with the above companies or advice on what we should do is welcomed.

Hi everyone,

I'm honestly desperate and hoping someone has experienced this before.

I've been dealing with this for almost 2 weeks and it's mentally exhausting.

I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building. My kitchen sink was completely clogged so I removed the P-trap and inserted a 10 m manual drain snake directly into the drain pipe. About 8 m went in. I pulled out a lot of grease, hair, and debris and now the sink drains normally.

The problem is that the snake is now completely stuck. It won't come out, go in any farther, or rotate anymore. I've already tried gently pushing, pulling, and turning it in both directions, but nothing works. I'm afraid of using too much force and breaking the cable inside the pipe.

Unfortunately, I can't afford a plumber right now so I'm really hoping someone has dealt with this before.

Has anyone managed to free a stuck manual drain snake? What could it be caught on if the drain itself is flowing normally? Any advice would mean a lot.

Thanks a lot in advance.

We’re doing some major regrading on our 30-year-old property to fix our slope, and we’re stuck on what material to actually use. We’ve heard conflicting advice from contractors, so we’d love to get some outside advice.

Context:

• Foundation: Unpainted/unsealed exposed cinder block (2 blocks exposed currently).
• Depth Needed: Adding about 6 inches of dirt against the foundation to establish proper slope.
• There are two different zones: Open lawn (where we want healthy grass to grow). And where we want to put a deck (no grass needed, purely about drainage and stability).
• We live in a state that's already pretty grassy and that has soil with a naturally high clay content

Problem:

Contractors have mainly suggested topsoil, fill dirt, and clay.

Topsoil is obviously ideal for our lawn, but we’re worried about it holding moisture directly against our bare block foundation.

Clay / fill dirt sheds water great, but might not be great for getting our grass to grow later.

Layering clay on the bottom with topsoil over it has come up as another option, but we aren't sure about the depth of each layer.

What we want to know is if there's single soil/dirt type or blend that works for both zones to keep things simple/cheap, or should we use two different materials?

If we layer different soils, how many inches of topsoil do we need minimum for grass to thrive without compromising the slope/drainage underneath?

What are your thoughts?

I had a toilet that was running, and I’ve bought four different flappers to try to fit it, but they all don’t fit correctly. (It seems to have an odd combo of a large hole but a short distance from the pipe where it connects.) Unfortunately, I didn’t think ahead to take the original flapper to the hardware store, and it was honestly pretty gross and wasting away.

I’ve just stopped using that toilet because it was running so much with all the new flappers.

I now have a second toilet that appears to be running. I cannot afford to lose another toilet, so seeking advice for how to maybe rectify both at the same time!

For #2, I do still have the flapper and will bring it with me, so hopefully that will solve my problem.

For the second time in a year raccoons have destroyed the fascia in front of our house. Same spot each time.

I read on here to try "hardware cloth" but it didn't mention specifics.

Does anyone know what kind we should get? We have a gaping hole now that anyone or anything can get into.

I have long term plans of building a nice fire pit with pavers, but I'd like to have some bonfires in the meantime before I get a more permanent setup. Can I just throw some sand/gravel/pavers down, put a metal fire ring on that, and have a fire? Obviously the grass under the fire will die, but besides that (and ensuring I'm >10' away from my septic field), am I good to go?

Recently purchased a home and need to replace an already existing sump pump. Is this something I can DIY? Or should I get a prof install. They quoted me 1800 which is kinda steep for the pockets right now.

We're looking to hire someone to help us with a small 300 sq ft addition off the back of our house, we've been very roughly quoted anywhere from $200k to $350k and about 6 months of work. We’re in BC, Canada. Sea to sky region.

There are quite a few GC options in town and my wife and I are trying to understand which business model is best for us.

We've talked to some small scale GCs where it seems like essentially the guy we are chatting to initially is also the guy who will actually be doing the project. And I guess he occasionally has a helper and hires out the subtrades when needed? We've generally seen them quote cost plus 15%.

We've also talked to some larger firms who seem to have actual offices and sales people and project managers and the such. These places have quoted the same cost plus model as above, but then it looks like you also pay separately for project management. I'm not sure if there are additional costs for this route (site supervisor?).

Anyways, we're wondering which option would work out better for our project. It's a relatively small project in the grand scheme of things so I think we're a little concerned the larger firms would think we're small fish and not prioritize us? Which could lead to delays. But then we also kind of like the rigid approach those larger firms take where there are weekly meetings with status updates and the like. And some redditing tells me that they may have more redundancy built in so if say, one electrician they work with is on vacation, they can just fill them in with another.

Do the incentives of one or the other model typically line up better for a small-ish reno like ours?

It seems like the single-person GC would be cheaper, due to the lack of extra project management fees. But maybe it's worth paying extra for that so that the project goes smoothly?

Separately we've also had a couple quotes some in for fixed pricing. We're unsure about that route since it seems like they would need to pad it a lot for it to be worth the risk?

Thanks for any help!

My new light says you can replace the existing fixture by connecting the wiring in the box to the new light and drilling it in.

The only issue is the current light box has a place to screw a light bulb only. Do I have to unscrew the electric box to get wires out for the new light to connect to?

Is this something where maybe an electrician would be better than DIY?

I’ve rolled 9 of 16ft pieces of trim. First few I was using a 3/8 nap and didn’t like the texture I was getting. I switched to a 1/4 nap and some flotrol and it’s a little better.

I’ve only ever painted trim installed with a brush. A pain taping off floor but the finish is better.

I have an older hvlp with a latex tip. It’s only a 2 stage so not ideal for latex but will spray it if thinned a little.

Should I spray the rest? It would be a lot faster to spray the rest. Not sure on the finish. Gotta imagine the same at least as the the roller.

Or should I just roll the rest?

Looking for advice on dealing with what seems like an overcharge for water remediation from sump pump failure.

First time homeowner. Basement in question is approximately 1600 sq ft finished basement with carpet in living room and a bedroom, tile in the rest. We were on vacation and there were storms at home where we lost power and water came in through the sump pit. Water marks on the basement baseboard showed less than one inch, but the two sections of carpet (440 sq ft total) were still soaked when we arrived home 3 days after the storm.

We called the insurance and they advised us to call a remediation company. We called a local company and they were at our house within an hour. They checked moisture levels and pulled all the baseboard to check the drywall. The drywall was not wet but they advised on pulling out all the carpet, spraying an antimicrobial, and running scrubbers to combat the moisture so mold didn't set in. We agreed.

Four technicians were at the house for 2 hours setting up scrubbers and ripping out carpet, and the scrubbers were deployed for 47 hours (I timed everything checking security camera footage later on), with a 45 minute teardown after completion. The invoice came a few days later at $10,300. Our insurance coverage for sump pump failure (flood according to our coverage) is 10k, which our adjuster said we would get.

My wife and I were blown away. I know we screwed up by not getting a price quote first, but its hard to sit and wait for a quote with a soggy basement and mold on the brain. So we are now on the hook for all of our personal property lost, but for new carpet installation as well.

We asked for an itemized invoice, which they charged us for a CAT3 remediation, 18.66 hours labor, 72 hours equipment usage, content manipulation for 3 rooms (BS as i moved out all items from 2 of the 3 rooms in question), and for a 12 yard dumpster for 1-3 tons of waste.

I'm looking for advice on how to navigate dealing with the remediation company. Ive left a message with the owner saying we'd like to dispute the cost. My claims agent basically said we are SOL.

Edit: added number of techs

have these gas pipes passing through the concrete wall. There is a gap between the plastic sleeve and the gray gas pipe. Can I fill this gap with sealant or expanding foam? This is in Chicago.

Picture:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D-uxTo7vFz6gP_6sWvdPewoGOf0-o76R/view?usp=drive_link

Sorry if my terminology is wrong.

I just had professionals come and install a backwater valve in a home that I recently purchased. During the process, they camera’d the line and noticed that a segment of the water pipe was full of water in the area of my furnace room. They offered to fix the issue, which I accepted. It was mentioned that during the process, they would bury the drains in the furnace room so that it is not a tripping hazard.

This is what the end result looks like. https://imgur.com/a/hMJfOvL Is this normal and typically done?

I want to install a giraffe hose reel above the water spigot but I’m a new homeowner and have no idea where the gas lines go after the meter. Any advice on how to determine if it’s safe to install above it? https://imgur.com/a/s7jMZL9

My dad had me climb into the well at the house he just bought to see why he doesn't have much pressure. Is this plug with an orifice intentional to prevent the pump from dead heading? Or is it a bleeder that is supposed to check when the pump is on and let water drain out when it shuts off? Or something else entirely? I'll post pictures once I figure out how to.

Edit: Here are some pictures. https://imgur.com/a/SvuFMtL https://imgur.com/a/HbRg8pZ

Have a contractor currently putting in interior drainage in crawlspace. They’ve taken out old encapsulation and have begun digging trenches for 4” corrugated pipe that has a sock on it.

Here’s my concern: there’s no stone on the job site, and the trenches dug around 1/3 of the perimeter so far seem barely deep enough to house the pipe, let alone be surrounded by stone. They didn’t specify stone in the contract, but my understanding of a French drain that is listed, is that French drains are pipe surrounded by stone. Soil in crawl is very clay heavy and all my inner sense and all my googling say the clay won’t even let the water through the sock, it’ll just be a buried and clogged pipe.

I sent a message to the contractor after hours, but hoping to go in ready to rap in the morning. Thoughts are appreciated. This is a $14,000 redo of a larger job that was just screwed up by another contractor just over a year ago to the tune of $40,000. I can’t go wrong again 😭

TLDR: do French drains have to have rock around the pipe in crawl space?

Lately we've had a sewer smell in the bathroom. All drains are used frequently or we've run for a while to make sure there's water in the pipes.

Our next step is to replace the wax ring under the toilet (maybe with the Fluidmaster Wax-free seal? This bathroom can get pretty hot at times). Is there anything else we should do while the toilet's removed, like drain cleaner down the pipes? Or anything else we should try for the smell? It's a manufactured house, if that makes any difference.

I have a rancher built around 1980 and I've noticed this problem is in the living room.... I'm seeing little bumps in the ceiling - evenly spaced apart (like ceiling joists) and in a couple of places the paint has actually split..... I'm sorry the video and photos are tough to see, we have terrible lighting here.

The dents are not right at the corner, the center of the dents seem to be about 1.5 - 2 inches from the corner.

It starts right above the front door and runs most of the length of the living room - I think it has something to do with the front porch. Here is an external shot marking roughly where the problem exists.

I don't see any evidence of water damage anywhere (yet) but I can't easily access this part of the attic but that is where I plan on going next.

Could this be early warning signs the porch's roof is failing? I roof was re-done in 2018 and the only other thing I can think of was about 5 years ago a tree feel on the back-half of the house and did some roof damage but I'm pretty sure what I'm showing you guys is less than a couple of months old.

I know this is a weird one but I'd love to have a little more knowledge before I bring a contractor out to take a look.

Thanks in advance!