I used to walk into places like Home Depot completely overwhelmed and confused. Now I wander around looking at light fixtures and storage containers recreationally like some kind of suburban evolution occurred without my permission.
For those with central air, what’s your typical summer bills look like?
Thinking of getting central air myself but wanna know beforehand with those RG&E costs.
I have an older home, and we typically have window units.
We were already quoted for an amount by our furnace company, but I wanted to see what other people typically pay during the summer months before really deciding.
Hello, fellow homeowners. I’m looking for window recommendations.
I’m a 33F in Ohio and purchased my first home in August 2021, so I’ve been here almost five years. The house was built in 1955 and is 3 bed, 1 bath, about 1,143 sq. ft. Four of the windows (on the sides of the house) are newer, but the rest are likely original and very outdated. I don’t even use them because I’m honestly afraid to open them. They’re old storm windows and really difficult to operate. Both my front and back doors are also older, though I did add new screen doors when I moved in.
Long story short, I know I need to replace the windows and doors. They’re overdue. I recently saw ads and got a mailer from Renewal by Andersen promoting a “May deal” with two years, zero down, no interest on windows and doors. It sounded great at first. But after having an in-home consultation, I started questioning it.
They offered financing options, including 10 years at 6.99% interest if I start paying right away. But if I go with the advertised 2-year option, the interest rate jumps significantly afterward, making it a much worse deal long term. It felt a bit misleading, or at least like they’re heavily promoting something that isn’t actually the best option.
After assessing my home, the rep recommended replacing the front and back doors, the front windows, and all the older windows, keeping just two of the newer ones. He also suggested combining my two front windows into one larger window by removing the center post, which he said would help save on cost.
Here are the quotes I received:
Honestly, I plan to sell and build new within the next five years. While I understand this could increase my home’s value, I’m not sure it’s worth the investment right now. I don’t want to take on that level of expense or stress over windows.
I know Renewal by Andersen uses high-quality materials, but $77K for two doors and eight windows feels excessive, especially when I know people with larger homes who’ve paid far less, even accounting for timing and interest rate changes.
Would love to hear recommendations for other companies or experiences. Does this seem like a reasonable quote?
We got new neighbours about a month ago. They have two dogs and a cat, and the cat seems to have decided that our yard is part of its territory now.
It comes into our yard pretty often, especially when the mower is running. It has also started peeing under our shrubs, which is getting really annoying.
The awkward part is that the neighbour does not seem too bothered about the cat going into other people’s yards. Instead, they asked us to stop using our robot mower because they’re worried it might scare or hurt the cat.
The mower moves slowly and the cat has never seemed to be in any real danger. Most of the time it just notices the mower, keeps its distance, and then wanders off. I just don’t want to have the same awkward conversation every time it happens.
We don’t have pets, and our landscaping is pretty simple, so I haven’t dealt with this before. Anyone here running a robot mower with pets around? Has it ever actually caused any problems, or is it mostly fine as long as you use common sense?
I’m mostly trying to find a reasonable way to handle this without making things weird with the new neighbours. Has anyone dealt with something similar?
I've got a 20' Type II ladder and a 28' Type I Ladder. The Type I 28 footer is heavy enough to be a chore for me to move around all day. The shorter Type II is a little flexy at length, but is super light and great to move.
I'm buying a 24 footer today, and am considering the Type II. Is this thing going to be a bendy mess when it's extended? I weigh 170 and won't be carrying anything heavier than a drill.
TIA
Trying to pull the trigger on a pool robot before the swim season starts. Budget is somewhere around $900 and I've been going back and forth for a few weeks now.
My main lean is toward cordless. I had a corded vacuum before and the cord management alone made the whole process more annoying than it needed to be. But I kept reading that corded robots like some of the Dolphin models clean more consistently, especially for lager coverage areas, and I am not sure how much of that is real versus just older reviews.
Looking at a few options and the Aiper lineup comes up a lot, specifically the Scuba S1 and the Scuba V3. Not a lot of side by side comparisons though, mostly just separate threads with different opinions.
Has anyone switched from a corded setup to a cordless robot and noticed a real difference in cleaning quality? Or gone the other way and decided the cord was worth if for better results?
Just want to get it sorted before the swim season actually starts.
So I renovated my guest bathroom about five months ago. Nothing crazy, just updated the tile, new vanity, fresh paint, better lighting. Thought I was upgrading the space and adding value to the house.
Fast forward to last week and I’m noticing dark spots forming along the bottom edge of the shower wall. At first I thought it was soap scum or hard water stains but when I scrubbed it the spots just spread. It’s definitely mold.
Here’s the thing, I never had mold problems before the renovation. The old bathroom was outdated and ugly but it was dry. Now I’m dealing with moisture issues I didn’t sign up for.
I think the contractor may have messed up the vapor barrier or the grout sealing but I’m not sure. He also installed this weird foldable shower curtain track system that I didn’t ask for instead of a proper glass door, and now I’m wondering if that’s contributing to water getting everywhere.
My wife has been researching ventilation solutions and somehow ended up on alibaba looking at industrial exhaust fans which seems excessive but maybe we do need better airflow.
Do I call the contractor back and demand he fix this? Or do I just accept that I need to run a dehumidifier in there 24/7 now? This is a 1995 house in Georgia so humidity is already an issue.
How badly did I mess up here?
I have a 19-year-old Trane HVAC system that's still running fine, but I'm questioning whether it's smart to replace it preemptively. During a routine maintenance call, the tech mentioned the compressor is getting toward the end of its typical lifespan and recommended I start budgeting for replacement. He also noted that proactively replacing the system now-while it's still operational-would help me avoid a potential mid-summer or mid-winter emergency failure, especially since an aging compressor can trigger a cascade of expensive repairs if it goes out suddenly.
The same company gave me a quote that seemed excessive for a full system replacement, which raised some red flags for me. Since then, I've collected a few additional quotes in the $8,000-$10,000 range (mostly for Trane and Lennox systems), which feels more reasonable if I decide to move forward.
My dilemma is: do I replace the system proactively now, knowing it's approaching the end of its expected lifespan? Or do I keep using it and accept the risk of being stuck in an emergency scenario where I'm pressured into whatever HVAC company can show up fastest?
I've owned this house since 2021, purchased at a decent price with a favorable mortgage rate, so I'm not planning to relocate anytime soon. I've gotten conflicting advice-some people say replace it now to avoid the emergency markup, others say ride it out until it actually stops working.
Curious what others would do in this situation. Thanks in advance!
I just changed the belt on old Chamberlain 3280 opener (41ab050 control board). Starting fully open, the door (or the trolly only with the door disconnected) closes, flexes the bar (as though wanting to close more) then automatically reverses course and opens all the way being stopped only by the stop screw with a thud (going too far open).
For the Down Limit, I turned it clockwise and was eventually able to get to not fully close. However, it still reversed and re-opened. I tried to adjust it back down a bit, but the screw is not reliable (same position doesn't equal same door / trolley result). Unfortunately, the trolley will now only go to up position (even with the screw completely turned clockwise) and is now stuck in the up position. Pressing the door opener only elicits a buzz.
Before this, I tried to adjust the UP Limit (counter clockwise), but never got it to reduce the UP Limit and it would always bang against the stop screw. Eventually this resulted in over-doing it and the screw detached. I had to take the cover off and reattached the plastic screw into its clips.
Any advice would be appreciated. It would be nice if I didn't have to replace the whole unit.
Hi everyone, my wife and I purchased our new construction home back in December and overall love the house. We fell in love with the house when we first viewed it, we loved what it offered and everything just felt right, still does. But as we were looking at the home there was a large warehouse in the frame work stages of being built about 200 yards away from the neighborhood. I didn’t give it much thought and moved forward with the purchase. Now here we are 7 months later and I am realizing that this “warehouse” is a data center. My concern is will the data center affect us trying to sell in the future. I know they are frowned upon by many.
I got a great price on a tar & gravel installation for my commercial building, but they specified there would not be a base sheet. They said they would mop the ply directly to the wood sheathing, as they usually do. Is this acceptable? Do I need a mechanically-fastened base sheet?
really only got one question: what is the best way a neighbor has introduced themselves to you?
i like to have gatherings (no alcohol - i’m sober) quite frequently amongst friends so i want to ensure to be the best neighbor i can be
Hello. I purchased my home in October 2025. The 50 gallon water heater, which is in the garage, was from 2013. A quick research says it is due for a replacement, but it is working just fine. Should I replace this or wait until I start seeing some leak in the garage or drop in temperature? It’s my first home so I don’t quite know what happens if I wait too long before replacing the tank. If the worst that can happen is some leak in the garage and loss of hot water for a couple of days until I can hire a plumber out, I can wait…
Hello, me and my girlfriend are 19&20 respectively and just bought our first house in February. Anyways, we have hard water, and my gf went to Home Depot and they happened to be handing out free tests of water. So my girlfriend calls me tells me that some guy is gonna come out to TEST our water and it’ll take 30 mins tops. I don’t think much about it till he comes.
Turns out, they weren’t testing your water scientifically, and just straight up giving a sales pitch for their filtration and water softener. Also for context I recently graduated with a degree in design engineering from college.
Anyways he comes, and does his whole speech about how much money it’ll save and stuff, read other Reddit posts for their speeches. We get to the end, which took TWO HOURS and I was expecting a price of around 2k. He hits us with a 10k price, and I started questioning him.
Due to my engineering background, I started questioning the actual design of the softer, and how much it costs to manufacture to be 10k. He kept on repeating and repeating to me that it had to do with all of the “technology” inside of the filters. I then proceeded to point out that the replacement filters were only 60$ each, to which he said that I know nothing about the engineering behind it. Literally graduating 2 weeks before this guy came, I started arguing back at him, disproving his points. He kept on going back to the “technology inside of it” and “lifetime insurance.” He was also getting rowdy back at me, arguing that he knows more than I do because of his $800,000 house even though he is 30 years older than me.
This guy was using super high pressure sales tactics, and somehow his boss magically gave us 3k off. I ended up kicking the guy out. Keep in mind, I didn’t know what a water softener costs at this point in time, I just knew that the manufacturing for that much seems fishy. Turns out, to buy one is around 500-1000$, and WAY cheaper maintenance.
Anyways, I feel as if this is a super scummy and scammy way to do business as a company, and my girlfriend would’ve fallen for it if I wasn’t there to point out the obvious flaws. Stay smart and do research, was just wondering also if other people had similar issues with them.
My 14 years old hot water heater runs great no problems.
I want to have it flushed (for the first time) because Reddit plumbers say it should be done.
My concerns are problems and upgrades I’ll be told are required to bring it up to date. Some fixes that may not really be necessary, and how would I know?
How do I know if Anode rods are bad? If they need to be replaced what’s the best professional brand and type?
There’s no drain pan or expansion tank. Does older equipment need them?
The house was built in 1974 we’ve been here since 1989. Replaced the hot water heater in 2012.
It’s a Bradford White PHCC Hydrojet Professional Grade made Nov 2011, installed in 2012.
Model # M150310EN10
Serial # XL4246723
I’ll try to add photos to include some humor.
Thank you for your advice.
Hey! I hope this is the correct format to post on here, but my partner and I are dealing with a mold problem in our house that is becoming more and more ugly. We are reaching out to insurance to see what to do, but my question is about the seller. For context- my fiance purchased this house before I met him and was not an experienced home buyer and was told bad advice by his home inspector and realtor. we just got done with a year of me having cancer and doing treatment. Only saying that to say I would have taken care of this sooner had I known it happened and if I was healthy enough to do it.
In the purchase agreement, the seller agreed to have mold found in the home inspection to be remediated by a licensed mold specialist. I have found an invoice made out to the seller from the seller's llc for this work. Looks like the seller was a flipper - great. I cannot find any information on if this llc was ever even a general contractor, let alone a mold remediation specialist. My hunch is he broke the purchase agreement by not having a specialist do it, and now we are facing the consequences.
Is there any recourse that any of you have had in a similar situation? We are prepared to just eat the cost and move on, but I want to do my due diligence of research. If you think it is worthwhile to get an attorney, that would be very helpful to know.
Anyways, thanks for reading!
I know, compared to very real issues usually discussed in this sub, that my issue will feel small. But I’m at wits end and not sure where else to ask.
Every year, starting about now, I deal with frogs outside my bedroom window croaking off and on throughout the night. And it wakes me up, every fricking time.
Anyone have any brilliant idea at keeping them away? I’m not near standing water (maybe a 100 yards away and on the other side of the house).
Turning 40 in 2 weeks and I am considering a careers change. Been in various trades for the last 15yrs or so, and currently renovating my century old home. I am trying to get a realistic picture of what this could look like.
- how thorough was your inspector? Did they gloss over things?
-what major issues did they catch that either saved you money or that noped you right out of the purchase?
-what expensive problems showed up shortly after that you feel like should have been caught?
-would you want someone who gives you all the technical details, or more of hear is what can wait and what needs to be fixed sooner than later?
I have been doing the full Reno completely solo room by room. Every board I cut wrong or mistake I make hurts, financially. Every purchase I make is thoughtful, since money is tight. I think I’d truly care about the buyer and helping them understand the risk, or just give them a realistic perspective on what they are dealing with, instead of just checking boxes.
Curious what experiences you all have had, good or bad.
Hired IL concrete contractor for large walkway and patio concrete project at my house for 15k approx.
He wrapped up and told me it will cost an additional $500 because during the excavation phase, they had to remove a large underground stump that took 2 hours to remove.
He also said he will just take 300 for it if I give me him cash.
I had no idea there was a stump there or even a tree there in the past. He told me a day later about it and never took a picture of the stump or anything.
And he brought it up to me AFTER they damaged my internet underground line and my window aluminum flashing (I made previous post about this).
In my contract it states “Remove and dispose the existing earth. Any additional thickness or reinforcement may incur additional charges.”
I feel suspicious that he bought up this potentially imaginary stump to get out of paying for my window and cable repair. If I ran that company I would tell my customer about the extra charge asap and take pictures.
Thoughts?
I'm looking to install any sort of blackout blind/curtain/roller blades that will block out 100% of all light from the window.
It basically needs to look like the room is pitch black 100%.
Are there any companies or products I can buy