Wanting to encapsulate this crawlspace. At this entrance they’ve got some pretty gnarly standing water. How would you go about solving this? There is perimeter drainage in the crawlspace itself.
I am in dire need of support to make my wife happy and create a gravel patio that her TikTok algorithm has exposed her to. I am having trouble with some parts to it because of course my area where I am doing it is not a clean slate like most on TikTok.
First, I have a small concrete sidewalk leading to the garage. Is it possible to just put limestone rock over it? Do I still try to cover it with landscape fabric?
Second, the lawn had some holes in it that my dogs made. ChatGPT is saying I should use paver base to cover them before I place the fabric. Should I instead use cheap top soil to level everything out?
Third, this is my first time place blocks. The driveway is somewhat jagged but there is still a defined line. Do I place the blocks on the edge of the driveway or in the dirt?
I appreciate anyone’s support in getting this project done. Last thing, does anyone have any good recommendations for reliable sources for future projects? Either books or websites?
The window trim is being pushed towards the inside and separating at the bottom corners. It was slightly worse during winter.
The top corners barely show any separation compared to the bottom.
The outside looks good.
What's going on? Is this a problem?
Had multiple leaks from upstairs - what do they need to do to fix this?
I’m assuming:
Replacing wiring, replace light, replace sheetrock?
The first photo (of the wall/cabinets) shows a space in our bathroom where there is a space between the wall and where our cabinet starts. Second photo is of the inside of that space from the top (there’s a hole in the wall above the cabinet). What’s the big gray pipe? HVAC?
Assuming that isn’t touched, can I use the space around it if we build custom cabinets?
We have an old house and this god awful vent/hole in the wall came with it. I have no idea how to go about repairing it. Feel free to explain to me like I'm an idiot. Any advice is appreciated.
Hey there my wife wants to do the same “heavy textured wall plaster” in these photos. The creator doing the work in the videos is going to release a book in a few months on how to do it, but we need to do it before then…
So what is this style called so I can research it and if you are familiar with it, what materials would you use? Joint compound, plaster, stucco?
Thank you!!
We have cut through the nails holding this patio door in but it will not budge! And whoever installed it made it just short enough that we can’t even pop the sliding panel off.
Please help. How do I get this out?
They are peachtree citadel doors if that helps.
We currently gift our clients a box of locally baked cookies as a thank you for allowing us to do their job. Nothing is branded, but I'm working on that.
I'm looking for "swag" idea that are compact that can get put into the box with the cookies (they are individually wrapped) Clients ready get a pen and a folder when we complete an assessment. I don't just want it to be a junk drawer item and also not break the bank. If anyone has interesting ideas, I'd love to hear them.
I know painting these peeling moldy windows won't help anything, but will it harm them, or make the issue worse?
Dog for visibility
Potentially buying a 1973 custom home in Canada — reality check before we make an offer?
My wife and I are considering buying what would likely be our “forever home” in Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada). It’s a large custom-built 1973 home on a beautiful mature lot in a highly desirable neighbourhood.
We genuinely love the house, but before we go further we’re trying to get brutally honest feedback from people who have renovated large 1960s/1970s homes — especially custom builds.
Context:
- Built in 1973 by a respected local builder
- Large custom family home
- Mostly original/interior largely untouched
- Very well maintained but visually frozen in time
- Detached garage
- Complex roofline with cedar shake roof + dormers
- Large masonry/stone fireplace room
- Later professionally permitted turret addition (expanding family room + primary bedroom)
- Two kids (7 and 4)
- Both work from home
- Planning 20+ year ownership if we buy
We’ve actually obtained the original hand-drawn blueprints and later permit drawings and have been studying them pretty deeply.
Things we’ve learned from the plans:
- Plumbing appears concentrated in the middle/south side of the house (stacked bathrooms), with the exception of:
- a Jack-and-Jill bath on one side
- kitchen sink on an exterior wall
- House includes a secondary/rear staircase
- Traditional framed construction (2x4 walls, batt insulation, plywood sheathing, masonry veneer)
- Complex roof geometry with dormers and multiple transitions
- Some structural bay window details built into framing
High-level renovation ideas (likely all in one major project, not phased):
- Full repaint throughout
- Refinish/add hardwood floors
- Full kitchen renovation
- Update lighting/electrical where needed
- Preserve character features (stone fireplace, wood study built-ins, trim, architectural feel)
- Convert formal dining room into:
- front 2/3 office (wife’s office)
- rear 1/3 butler pantry tied to kitchen
- Improve mudroom/foyer function for kids/sports gear
- Potential upstairs laundry if plumbing makes sense
- Remove the secondary rear staircase and potentially remove the adjacent wall to create a more open center circulation space
One major structural question:
The staircase/wall removal may require a beam spanning roughly 20 feet. We have not had engineering done yet. Has anyone tackled something similar in a 1970s home and been shocked (good or bad) by what was discovered?
What we are NOT trying to do:
- HGTV flip
- sterile modern farmhouse
- gut all the character
- open-concept everything
Goal:
Thoughtful modernization of a quality 1970s custom home while preserving what makes it special.
Questions:
What major hidden costs/issues are we probably not thinking about?
What inspections would you do BEFORE waiving conditions on a house like this?
(Home inspector + structural engineer? electrician? plumber? sewer scope? asbestos testing? roofing specialist?)
What are the biggest “gotchas” for 1970s Canadian custom homes?
- asbestos?
- aluminum wiring?
- insulation/vapour barrier?
- plumbing?
- hidden moisture?
- foundation movement?
Does this sound like “great bones with expensive updates” or potential money pit territory?
What renovation assumptions do people most underestimate in homes from this era?
If you’ve done a major renovation while raising young kids — what would you do differently?
Brutal honesty appreciated.
I live in a rental studio and when i was "shaking out" a bed sheet it got caught on the metal bar and the metal literally broke. I am not able to replace it myself and also cannot afford to hire some one to do it rn.
Is there any way to fix it? I tried super glue but obviously it would not hold and i think super glue does not glue metal.
I ripped the picture from Facebook cause it’s the only other perfect example of my moms basement, vinyl wrapped walls, no dry wall, ceiling needs insulation and drywall as well. My main question is can I just find the studs/support beams and put up drywall OVER the vinyl or should I rip it out and start a new? People are planning on moving in down there and I don’t wanna spend all my life savings on this but I do want to make it a livable space! (I’m a very novice at all of this so any tips would be appreciated!!)
We just got our air ducts and dryer vent cleaned. I went outside to check the dryer vent side and noticed the cover is flapping while the dryer is running. I never noticed that before and thought we had grills. Is it normal for it to open like this?/should there be a mesh screen over it or anything?
As far as I can tell the foundation and studs are good, well water, septic is good, electrical is 100amp so needs an upgrade, needs upgraded furnace as its old ruined wood stove. I think it will need to be cleaned out, torn down to studs and fully renovated, thoughts? any questions ask away
Edit- its 2400Sq Ft, unfinished basement, on 5 acres of land. average house in area goes for 600k canadian plus
On advice of people I have started a gofund me, if anyone chooses to help I would be forever grateful and so would my wife and daughter! Thank you all so much for the karma and advice! I plan to start a series somewhere to share progress with you all! https://gofund.me/04e27160d
The first photo is AI and the 2nd (square shape) is my current window. Its outside is actually rotten now and I don't like the shape anyways so I want to change it. All I know is I need permit for this project and it will have to do with my subfloor. Appreciate if you can give me any advice/warnings/heads up to ask and pick the right contractor for the work. Thanks!
My husband and I (29M & 30F) finally closed on our historic church we’re turning into our house. 6.125% and total loan amount 293k but we only paid 116k for the building and then 149k for renovation and a 14k contingency in escrow. We were under contract for over 3 months and after numbers set back and 3 different lenders it’s finally all ours. Renovation has started and phase 1 will be done by end of July. We used an FHA 203k and if you have any questions please ask. I know everyone said this was the most difficult and impossible loan but I’m hard headed and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I think these are extremely underrated and we just didn’t have the time or energy to fight for a turn key in this economy with people bidding 100k+ over asking.
✨PSA✨ I know some of you are wanting to see the renovations process and I’m documenting and posting everything on TT, YouTube and IG my handle to all is cjdzimmer follow along to see all the pics and videos!
------- UPDATE ------ Here's some updated photos of the property and condition I got today, turns out bio dad and uncle are still on the property but I will be handling that shortly. Got some quotes for junk removal and it is 15-20k just for removal, 5-7k for dumpsters and me filling them myself! Crazy starting costs but I am excited to see the transformation. Also upon request of a few people on the original post I have started a gofund me and will be sharing the journey on YouTube and TikTok eventually.
I am moving into a rental with my 3 year old and 1 year old within the next week. This is what the basement stairs currently look like- obviously very not child safe (or safe in general). Any tips on what I can do to make them safer? I will have foam tiles or carpet at the bottom and plan to get some kind of carpet stair treads, but I’m worried about how there’s nothing to prevent my kids from just falling right over the edge of the stairs. Any ideas are appreciated!
Looking to make small renovation improvements on my grandpas home. He's 83 so Im trying my best to get his house in a more pleasant livable condition. Any tips, equipment or videos you guys could add to help me learn how to do these things? Never tried renovations like this but iv been a DIYer all my life. Looking to start small and go onto bigger things like installing new cabinets and painting. Anything helps and tips to start the process. Thank you!