r/AskContractors

Do these windows look installed correctly with the siding? Under contract on the house and the windows didn't seem installed Properly.

We had a slab of concrete poured in our yard for pickleball & basketball. We waited 30 days before painting the slab with a paint specific for indoor/outdoor pickleball courts.

It’s been about 2 months since the concrete was poured and 1 month since it was painted, and we are now just noticing waving & rippling. The waves are solid, the paint is not bubbling, it feels like the concrete has rippled. The paint has not separated at all, and there isn’t air between the concrete & paint.

When we painted the court, the waves were not there. There were a couple of low spots in the concrete we noticed while painting (using a rubber squeegee), but we definitely would have noticed these.

Does anyone know what’s going on here?

We had a hail storm come through some months ago we hired a company to do our siding and roof overall I think it looks good and from a distance it is looking great but when you get close up there are quite a few scratches and dings and they are not even done yet.

Some details the horizontal siding is vinyl and the Board and Batten siding is steel. The siding has taken way longer than they said it would we are on month number 2 of what they said would be a 2 week process. I checked the contractor we can’t really hold them to any timeline apparently which is fine so long as it is done well I am just not sure I am being too picky or if I should bring it up with the contractor.

So I have a house from the 60s in Canada and after moving in I found bubbled paint in the basement (in spring time early may) that wasn’t there on inspection. I went searching and started cutting drywall and found mold and moisture on the warm side of the vapour barrier. With that it seemed to be more centralized under windows and spanning out. I since then replaced basement windows suspecting that was the cause. Then determined I’d re do the entire wall of drywall. Pulled the drywall to find the vapour barrier not sealed and just stapled on with no acoustic sealant or tape on any of it. I removed the insulation which was dry and no mold on it at all. The foundation has some calcium buildup or what I learned might be essflorence (don’t quote me on spelling). I want to know if this could also be from the windows or if this is a foundation issue that requires waterproofing. I got one guy who said just to clean it well and apply a sealer, but would like to verify any concerns before redoing the walls and finishing the basement again.

I had an existing paver patio for about 6 years. We’re putting a large hot tub on it, so we hired a company to reinforce the patio to support the additional weight. The agreement was that they would remove the existing pavers, excavate deeper, reinforce the base to 12"+, then reinstall the same pavers and finish with polymeric sand. From what I can tell, they did a great job with the reinforcement itself. My issue is with how they put the pavers back. The original patio used three different sizes of pavers and, at first glance, looked somewhat random. However, all of the joint lines were straight and evenly spaced. While they were reinstalling the pavers, I noticed the lines weren't matching up and told them it didn't look right. At the time I couldn't explain exactly what was different about the original layout, but I specifically pointed out that the lines weren't straight. They told me they knew what they were doing, that this was a layout they use all the time, and that it would look great when finished, so they continued. Well...it's finished, and to me it doesn't look right. There are mismatched joints/lines all over the patio, some ending an inch or two away from another joint, and the overall layout looks sloppy once you actually look at it. There are also 4–5 pavers that are noticeably different in color and stand out from the rest. After comparing before-and-after photos, I finally figured out how the original patio was laid: every large and small rectangular paver ran in the same direction, while every medium paver ran perpendicular to them. That's what created the continuous straight lines throughout the patio. The job was finished today and we haven't paid yet. Am I being too picky, or is this something you would expect a professional paver company to correct? What would you say/do before paying?

Mold was found during the predrywall inspection in the basement/crawlspace. The PM said they'd use mold block on it. Does this seem like enough? I just don't want it to spread or cause issues in the future.

Recently purchased a small home. It has limited storage space in the 2 small bedrooms. It has an exterior door on the back side of the house, leading out of the primary bedroom. Was planning a master suite addition on this side of the house, but am unable due to the septic location.

For the time being, I’d like to add an 8x8 bump out addition for a walk in closet utilizing this existing exterior door. My question is, can I frame this like a deck? With a ledger on the house side and a beam with pickings on the other side? If not, why is this a bad choice? The floor joists are running the opposite direction of the bump out, so I can’t easily sister/tie in to those.

Also, should i continue one side of the bump out roof off the existing roofline? Or just add a newer slightly lower roofline? This seems easier in my head.

I am located in Northern NH for reference. What would something like this cost, DIY or contracted?

Thanks in advance!

So, I have been working with a hardscaper who was leveling my bluestone patio and adding 6 concrete footings under the patio so I could anchor a 20 x 10 metal pergola (Mirador 111DA - Costco version).

After much debate the contractor insisted pouring a 10 inch cylinder would be good enough for me to anchor off of and I don't think it is. Even if I angled the anchor inward and use an epoxy anchor, I think I run the risk of cracking. We are in Western Mass so we will get rain, wind, snow, freeze/thaw. Can this be salvaged?

the footings are 30 in deep, but I'm wondering if I can get away with digging an 8 inch deep 14x14 square around the current form, cut away the exposed cardboard and pour some high strength cement to give some added support. Would I need horizontal dowels to connect new and old concrete? Totally new to concrete work, so any advice is appreciated!

Looking for some advice on a hardwood floor refinishing issue.

We had our first-floor hardwood floors refinished and overall they came out really well. The contractor used Bona Traffic HD.

Before the job, we had agreed that the kitchen island could stay in place and they would work around it. During the job, they decided they needed to move it, so they moved it, sanded underneath, and put it back. At that point there were no dents.

The next morning, after the first coat had already been applied, I noticed the island had been put back in a noticeably different position from where it had originally been. I asked them to move it back to its original spot. When they moved it, it left these shallow dents/drag marks in the freshly finished floor.

I asked the contractor about it and his response was basically that the dents were caused by moving the island, that eliminating them would require re-sanding and doing the process again, and that whenever something heavy is placed on the surface, the same thing can happen.

I’m attaching photos, including some low-angle ones where the dents are easier to see.

I’m trying to understand what the realistic options are here. Do these look like something that could be repaired without redoing a large area? Would you leave them alone, try a localized repair, or re-sand a broader section?

The floors otherwise look great, so I’m not looking to create a bigger problem. I just want to understand what an experienced flooring person would consider the best fix.

Thank you!!

Edit: I should mention that the team that created the dent were the refinishers themselves, in case that is relevant. I referred to them as contractors but all the work, including the movement of the island was done by the flooring company.

We wrapped up a remodel for two bathrooms and have been really happy with our contractors. But then our vent fans started to dust down insulation from the attic. We took the covers off and were very surprised to see these large gaps around the new fans. We had been planning to hire them for additional projects. Is this a deal breaker? Or am I overreacting?

My kid pushed the towel bar down from one side, and it created this hole. What’s the best way to repair it so I can securely reinstall it?

I’d like to bring more light into my entry area, is it easier or less costly to get a double side lite door installed or can I put a side-lite-esque window here instead for the same effect/less cost?

Does this detail (dimensions in mm) make sense for a single story home?

The depth makes sense, it's only a bit over the minimum recommended by the geotech, but the width and heigth of the foot feels oversized for a framed wall.

Was something else taken into account that I'm missing?

Not pictured are 6 ø12 rebar at the top, 4 ø12 at the bottom, connected by #ø6/10 either side.

We recently had vinyl siding installed, and I’m noticing several seams that seem very obvious, especially from certain angles/light.

I attached a few photos. Is this amount of visible/separated-looking seams considered normal for vinyl siding, or does it look like something may not have been installed correctly? Or perhaps the color we chose makes the seams more obvious?

I’m not a handy guy, and this is my first rental apartment, but a lot of things seem to have been really sloppily done. Maintenance won’t fix most of these things because they are just “aesthetic” (- messy grouting, sloppy wall repairs, cracking & layered paint, “three way” light fixtures where both light switches need to be turned “on” plus a remote - ) and some others such as no ventilation in the bathroom which I had to push them to install as per hospitality laws of the state.

All that to say, is this something I should be worried about? There seems to be some sort of bubble under the “tiles” in my shower. Could this be something that could grow mold or that I could be held liable for? Or better to just document and wait out my lease?