r/homerenovations

Our city has had a record amount of rainfall (Edmonton Alberta, Canada) this past month, and by grace our basement has not flooded like many others. We own a 1965 1100sq ft bungalow in a mature neighborhood with a full basement of equal sq footage. This is in the cold storage pantry under the stairs and so has no drywall or insulation. I noticed the pantry smelled a little musty (not heavily), and saw this slightly damp seepage. It's a small foundational crack, and like I said the rainfall was record breaking (250mm in the month of June).

Anyway, is this a paint over repair or would it be advised to go further? It smells fine elsewhere in the basement and no stains on the walls, etc.

what’s the best way to fix this? it’s all over my bathroom. should I attempt to rip it out and mud on top of it?

Im thinking of converting the conservatory into a ‘proper’ room and opening it up into the current dining or living room to make a big kitchen/diner/family room, then having a separate snug and a playroom…. (To the right is an attached annex, so the living room doesn’t have a window) budget £100k

Hey everyone, looking for some professional input from contractors on how to properly handle a broken underground concrete valve box.

The box is embedded right in the middle of an asphalt driveway where vehicles drive directly over it. We still have the thick, heavy metal cover plate, but the precast concrete housing underneath it is severely deteriorating. The top-left rim and side walls are completely crumbling away, meaning the plate no longer has enough structural support underneath it to safely hold vehicle weight.

We currently have the area blocked off with traffic cones so nobody drives or walks onto the unstable plate by mistake, but we need a permanent, long-term solution so we can fully use the parking spaces again.

Given that the plate is still perfectly fine but the underlying concrete shelf is failing in a heavy traffic zone, what is the right way to address this? Is a concrete structure in this condition salvageable to support the plate again, or is a full replacement of the precast box the only viable option?

Additionally, what specific type of contractor should I be reaching out to for this kind of repair (e.g., a commercial plumber, an excavation/site utility crew, or a paving company)?

Appreciate any insight or advice from those who handle utility repairs. Thanks!

Hi everyone I am looking for some advice on this window installation that we just had done in our basement, does this look like it was done correctly or should there have been a wooden frame installed between the window and the foundation of the house?

First I wanted to say thank you all who gave me great advice and input on my first post! I took out the rest of the damaged drywall and pulled up more of the old flooring to assess the damage. Everyone was right about it mostly stained from the water, but the wood seems pretty sturdy. Actually, the subfloor still seems very solid, but I still plan on replacing some, but thankfully not as much now. Doused all I could see in croncobium for the mold.

BUT biggest issue now is here. It looks like the wood here has been hollowed out from the damage, so it got the worst of it. Researching stuff, it looks like it’s the bottom plate (if my terms are correct?). How should I go about this? It doesn’t look like part of an actual joist or beam, just the structure to the wall, which is still important.

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ETA: the reason we tilted the ac is because before doing so, or were informed from the Internet... You're supposed to tilt it because if you don't mold can grow. Which it did or seemed to have done. My room would smell like a foot. But since tilting it I haven't noticed the moldy smell anymore. Advice welcomed

Planning on doing some beautification work around this balcony that'll include some decorative features and column work. My question is can I put a stucco/foam trim at the edge of the balcony? There's flashing there, so I'm not sure what's typically done.

Thanks!

I recently moved into a home and the electric fan in the bathroom hasn’t worked. I haven’t been able to get anyone out here to fix it, but it is now far too late. I have one wall in my bathroom that has multiple soft spots all over it as if I can poke my finger through. What are the steps to do this and repair this?

Hello. I have a crack in my foundation that starts at the windows and zig zags down the wall to the floor. Only visible inside the house. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Should I be concerned?

Hello,

I recently purchased a home and immediately tore out the gross carpet in the basement. I’d like to lay LVP throughout as part of the renovations, on its current state, can I do this here?

My main concerns are the existing flooring that’s covering most of the floor, and the also a dip near the back right corner where there is a floor drain.

Do I have to remove the tile already on the floor first? It is only a few mm thick, very thin difference between the areas with and without.

And what about the floor drain? There is a slight dip that was noticeable when the carpet was over the drain, will this be ok?

Do I need to also lay a moisture barrier first, even if the LVP has an under layer?

Thank you!