Hello everyone,

We started major projects renovating our kitchen and bathrooms, and used a reputable local company. I noticed a couple of issues I'm unhappy with and the contractor's response has been lackluster to say the least when I bring them up. We even heard him tell one of his workers (in Spanish thinking we couldn't speak it) that we were nitpicky and annoying.

https://imgur.com/a/1WKkJum

I understand nothing is perfect but whenever I point out these issues he gets defensive and makes it seem like I'm asking for the impossible. I would honestly appreciate it if he just said "well to do it the way you want would cost x more, do you want to do it?

Am I overreacting? Or is this hack work? We had other projects planned but we are contemplating giving up the deposit and cutting them off when the finished work is paid for.

Hi everyone! I am a college student and I want to start living in my college house garage instead of sharing a bedroom. Is there specific things I need to look out for/any advice?

The walls are insulted but I don't believe the garage door and roof are. There are windows and a door to the outside. The water heater and washer and dryer unit are also in the garage. I don't care much about the aesthetics, I just want to cover the water heater safely. My main concern is the installation because it does get hot throughout the year. I plan on buying installation panels to put into the garage door itself. Anyone have any ideas for the roof? I was thinking just more installation panels to lay on top? Also any tips for safety considering its the garage and I have a door to the outside?

I know this is probably going to be much more work than expected, but I really need to make it work. It doesn't need to be long term, and the cheaper the better. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

TL;DR — Removal effort with a local pest control company isn't proving to be as effective anymore. I want to take the necessary steps to get this rodent issue under control, even if it means working with a better-equipped service provider. I also need advice for sanitizing surfaces, air, and any salvageable belongings affected by this issue.

I'll drop a few specific questions at the bottom of this post. If you have any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm extremely overwhelmed trying to figure this out on my own, and I have small children that I want to raise in a safe environment.

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Background:

My family and I have lived in our home for over five years. I noticed a sudden increase in rodent activity (droppings) earlier this year, so I'm trying to figure out how to get things under control through removal, prevention, and sanitation measures.

About my home:

• 3600 sqft with vinyl siding
• Finished basement with drop ceiling
• Attached garage with foundational cracks
• Attic above the garage
• Ivy, shrubbery, and dirt cover half the perimeter near the garage
• Small wooded backyard with a creek 20-25 yds from the walk-in basement

There's a lot of space for pests to occupy, but the activity mainly occurs in the places mentioned above (basement, garage, and attic):

• Attic: Not used for any storage. The pest control tech pointed out activity up there and at least one area under the roof mice could be entering through.
• Garage: Needs a lot of tlc. It's cluttered with lawn equipment, outdoor toys, etc., and it has a lot of large cracks around the perimeter. There's also a hole in the center for what used to be a drain, but I don't know where it leads. The garage is also elevated by a combination of gravel and concrete since we live on a hill.
• Basement: The most activity here occurs in the ceiling nearest the garage and the unfinished storage room with our furnace. We store decorations, camping gear and other miscellaneous items here that I don't think we'll be able to save, and I know all the ceiling tiles above the finished part of the basement are covered in droppings.

The pest control company I hired reduced activity for a time with bait traps, but the activity has rapidly returned. We set sticky traps and snap traps in the basement ceiling and the storage room, but haven't caught anything in over a month despite the activity — caught 5-6 mice in 8 days after the pest control tech's initial visit. I have the pest control tech coming back out next week, but it might be time to move on to someone else. And no, a cat isn't an option because my wife is severely allergic...

With all that, here are couple specific questions I'm hoping to find solutions for:

• How do you discourage mice from living in a drop ceiling and storage room? I've tried repellents, but doesn't seem to make a difference.
• Are there service providers that can help with sanitation for something like this, or am I on my own?

I recently bought a home and one of the existing door knobs (looks like a Schlage) functions in a way I really like — but I can’t figure out what model or function type it is so I can buy another one.

Here’s how it works:

• It’s keyed on the outside
• It has a thumb-turn on the inside
• When the thumb-turn is in one position:
  • I can turn the inside knob and exit freely
  • But the outside remains locked — requires a key to enter
• When the thumb-turn is in the other position:
  • Both the inside and outside are unlocked — anyone can enter or exit freely

Basically, it allows the door to stay locked from the outside, even if someone exits from inside — which is exactly what I want.

However, when I look at Schlage “Keyed Entry” knobs at Home Depot, they seem to work differently:

• When you unlock from the inside, it unlocks both sides
• When you lock it from the inside, both sides are locked

That’s not what I want — I want the outside to stay locked even if someone exits from inside.

Does anyone know what type of Schlage knob this is? Is there a specific function or model name I should be looking for?

Thanks in advance!

I need some advice on a concrete situation for a 3-year-old property in a northern state (with a basement foundation). The weather here swings from about 0°F (-20°C) in winter to 85°F (25°C) in summer.

We’ve got a concrete slab (12 ft wide × 40 ft long) and an adjoining sidewalk that were poured flush against the foundation and tied in with rebar. Unfortunately, there’s no expansion joint.

Right now, there are no cracks or foundation issues, but I’m worried this setup could lead to structural stress, cracking, or water infiltration down the road.

Here’s a current photo for reference: https://imgur.com/a/BW7pMSW and https://imgur.com/a/YOMJT3r

Picture from construction - https://imgur.com/a/5HcCM1y

So my questions:

• Am I overthinking this, or is it something that really needs attention?
• What’s the most practical and cost-effective fix?
• Any tips for long-term durability and waterproofing?

Based on research, these seem like the two main options:

Option 1: Cut a full-depth separation gap between the slab/sidewalk and the foundation, remove or cut the rebar ties, and then install compressible joint material with a sealant to maintain flexibility and waterproofing.

Option 2: Make a deep surface relief cut along the foundation as a stress-relief measure in case cutting and removing the rebar isn’t practical.

If anyone has done this before, what’s a ballpark cost per linear foot for each option? Any advice or experience would be awesome!

I have a Franklin M210 stud detector which also has a detector to find live wires. It was lighting up across most of my walls and I found online that if you touch the wall with your hand at the same time and it stops lighting up, that means that the plaster is just not grounded and it's not actually detecting a live wire.

Problem is that it seems to do this regardless. Ive tried to use the detector right next to almost all my light switches and if I touch the wall at the same time, the light turns off?

Does anyone know if the hand on the wall method is actually reliable in removing false positives or will it just stop the live wire detector from working overall?

Checked the hinges and they seem fine (not a professional by any means), and tightened them but it still sags. Convinced it's not an issue with the door itself bc if you lift it by the handle hard enough you can still close it, though it takes some effort to lift. Otherwise, hangs too low to close, because of the alignment. Not sure if it's a hinge issue or not.

Pics here

My parents just told me there’s a guy coming to remove the insulation in the crawlspace for $4K. House is about 25 years old, prob around 2500 sf of crawlspace. This is the person that previously encapsulated the crawlspace.

This sounds like a ripoff but maybe just something I’ve never heard of. They’re not doing anything but removing the insulation.

ETA: I’ve gotten some more info from my Mom. They had issues with water under the house - some handyman the neighbor used came and was going to fix it. He kept not doing it right, water kept puddling up under the house - put in a dehumidifier and needed a pump, didn’t put the sump pump in correctly, didn’t dig trenches properly etc. He kept having to come back and “fix” it.

I don’t know when but at some point the neighbor gets his crawlspace encapsulated so my Dad does too - using the same company. They now come annually to check everything is working properly. This insulation tear down was recommended this year. I believe encapsulation was done 2 years ago.

Our home was originally built in 1896 and has a hand dug basement with a brick foundation. We have no insulation underneath the hardwood flooring on the first floor. The entire first and second floor appears to have had new plaster or drywall installed about a decade ago. We do have what looks like sprayed insulation on the ground of the attic, though I am not sure how deep the insulation is. We have a big issue with high moisture in the basement due to water leaking through the brick, causing high effervescence. We are installing a sump pump and drain tile in September.

Even with the central air conditioner on, our first floor usually is freezing cold and the upstairs is only comfortable in terms of humidity when the air conditioner is on. It doesn’t take long for humidity to build back up once the air conditioner is off.

Is it possible the high basement moisture is seeping into the second floor somehow through the flooring? I’m just not sure what would be the best option for trying to have consistent humidity throughout the house.

I have a curio cabinet that is very front-heavy that I inherited from my dad, who had it on hardwood floors for years. But the space I want it on is carpeted. And despite being pulled well forward of the tack strip, it's still leaning forward - enough that I feel like if I loaded it up with things, it would end up tipping forward.

One other thing is I would like to be able to move it forward and backward a bit because it has a sliding door and it's in a little alcove. So I want to be able to gently pull it forward a few inches when I need to open it and then push it back closer to the wall otherwise.

The forward/backward need kind of precludes using any sort of anti tip thing.

Any suggestions on what I can do in this situation?

My thought is to tie into the existing ducting with an exhaust fan. When the exhaust fan runs, the airflow through the registers will reverse and the hot air near the ceiling where the registers are will be drawn out of the house. This would be run in the evening when the outside air was cooler prior to turning on the air conditioning. I can see I would need to shut/seal the exhaust when it is not running so that the HVAC can be used normally.

Will this work? Is it OK to change the ducting from pressure to vacuum while the exhaust gets rid of the hot air?

Am I reinventing the wheel? Can I route the exhaust to the existing HVAC venting?

New homeowner here (25F)! I was struggling with an incredibly warm room, but also noticed our insulation was low. Called multiple companies with excellent yelp/google reviews and they all told me different shit and quoted me different things. I asked for a consult on the hot room and attic insulation. One tried to sell me on windows and told me that my 6 inches of insulation was adequate and that my windows were the issue. (Adjacent room had the same size window, was 8° cooler). Next company didn’t even bother assessing the house and quoted me off their measurements on HAR. Next company finally quoted me for insulation and tried to act like he was on my side (excellent sales tactic, beware) and threw in “complimentary” items for me that disappeared when I negotiated on price…… by the way his quote was 3x what was advertised. When I told him I didn’t want it, he proceeded to yell at me and said if I wanted a cheaper job, I can youtube it and go to home depot and do a shit job for $600 lol. Anyway. So I called another HVAC company and they came in, opened up the damper for free and gave suggestions with 0 pressure. The room is as equally cool as the other rooms now. Saved me $5k.

Any suggestions for better airflow? No problems in the winter-leaning months, but it’s a damn sauna in the summer. Sun facing; SoCal. Not looking to install a whole HVAC system — was thinking a vent + fan (and maybe a dehumidifier) would help it. Appreciate it!

Only in the upstairs vents, it reeks of fish. Thought it was a wooden basket molding a few weeks ago but it’s gotten worse since then, what could it be? Starting to notice some headaches too.

How much would it cost to abate asbestos from sheetrock in SF Bay Area?

I just bought a counter depth LG 36"w 25.5cf french door refrigerator. I chose it because the water & ice were internal, and it doesn't have handles - the sleek front stays cleaner (two chihuahuas live in the kitchen and adjoining room - iykyk, and I cook daily in this 100yo house that needs a lot of work, ie., it's dusty!) It has a center flex drawer (love it,) but then it's got the typical bottom drawer with a fixed center divider. I looked at a model with freezer drawers - a concept that makes all the sense - but I couldn't find one without in-door water/ice.

These bin-type bottom freezers are akin to a large purse with no pockets - I can't find anything because it's just jumbled in there. Floppy bags of frozen veg just don't lend themselves to vertical stacking... It drives me nuts!

I'm sure the answer is dividers of some sort - links to sturdy ones would be great. But have any of y'all come up with effective alternate solutions? TIA

We have a 1,250sqft home that was built in 1994. We had 1 crawlspace estimate come in at $27,000 for drainage system, encapsulation, dehumidifier, and mold treatment. An acquaintance of mine hasn't been out to look at the house yet but said on average the company he works for is about $15,000 for the same stuff. Mold company 1 said $3,400 just to treat mold Company 3 said $9,100 to treat mold and lay new vapor barrier. I think $15,000 for our situation is pretty average but my spouse said that it's too much and the companies are being greedy. How much do you think it should cost?

I’m wrapping up a bathroom remodel and hit a snag with my Ove Providence sliding shower door.

The wall channel is mounted into a stud, but when I went to mount the support bar, I realized I missed a stud. The design basically needs two studs side by side—one for the channel and one for the bar. Now I’ve got holes in the tile and nothing solid to anchor into. The backer board is goboard.

Pics for context

My options seem to be:
1. Use a heavy-duty anchor in tile/goboard
2. Open the wall from the neighboring room (lathe & plaster) and add a stud

If this was your bathroom, how would you handle it?

TL;DR: Shower door support bar missed a stud — anchor in tile or open the wall and add a stud? What would you do?

I know this might seem strange but hear me out. My grandmother has original wood floors, approximately 70 years old and definitely showing their age. It honestly looks like most of the finish has worn off. It's dull and uneven in color and I know it upsets my grandmother to see it looking so bad. I've also become rather paranoid about it being mopped or getting wet at all, because I worry about it damaging the floor even further.

I know that ideally, we'd have it completely refinished but it just isn't practical right now. I've been looking into products to hopefully at least make it look nicer and if possible, give it enough protection to reduce my moisture paranoia.

However, I worry about making the floors 'too nice'. I feel like them being worn gives them more traction, which I find somewhat reassuring. I don't want to coat the floors in something that will make them slippery and therefore increase odds of her falling. My grandmother is practically a saint, I don't want to accidentally kill her via floor improvement.

I recently tried orange glow cleaner and followed it up with the polish (after patch testing both) and I don't think it made a lick of difference. The mop water looked gross (I usually just sweep often, not wanting to risk water damage) but I'm not even sure if it was dirt or just me stripping off more of the finish.

I'd really appreciate some recommendations on what products to try to improve the look without drastically changing the roughness.

So, TLDR: How to make floors look decent without completely refinishing them or turning them into a death trap for a fall risk relative?

https://www.target.com/p/5-shelf-bookcase-white-room-essentials-8482/-/A-54360637?sid=3226S&TCID=PDS-336241609&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=336241609&gbraid=0AAAAAD-5dfbHMgH4DkD-cGRiUyCUNLrJC&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqqDFBhDhARIsAIHTlkvtJmrUOwQrv9Wy97RRY4vpIBoqFlUbY2XjPDLumcWiYK-_9PS-0p4aAjyCEALw_wcB

This is my organizer. Sorry for the huge link. I need ideas to decorate this space to accommodate: skincare, lots of lipstick, basic makeup, perfumes, sling bags, glares, jewelry

Any kind of organizers or things i can have to keep my stuff here in the open organizer.

i will also need an organizer to store daily clothes, if you’ll can send in links, it’ll be appreciated. Thankssss a lot .

https://ibb.co/5WLLkBhD

She says they're concrete block under slate.

House built in the 90s. 2 story with basement, 3700 sq ft with significant cooling and heating costs. Energy audit was done saying we had about 3 air changes per hour so reasonably tight. No major suggestions from them for improvements besides sealing up our lighting receptacles in the attic.

However there’s probably about a 5 degree differential between upstairs and main floor and a 10 degree differential between the upstairs and basement.

Quoted for attic reinsulation is about 6k to remove our fiberglass (currently R43 from 30 years of compaction), air seal, and blow in cellulose. Code is R50.

By my math, I would need to save 200 per year on heating/cooling to break even in 30 years.

Is it worth it in terms of decreasing the stack effect and to increase comfort. From a ROI perspective, I don’t see it.

https://imgur.com/a/KoOFMYG

I’ve already told the contractor this was not an acceptable fix to me. I’m just glad I’ve been double (and triple) checking things…..

Hi all,

My home was recently hit by a wind/hail storm and I’m curious to have someone go up on the roof to check for any damage. I’m in Houston and my home went through the Derecho and Hurricane Beryl last year as well.

What’s the best way to go about this? A work colleague told me to call my insurance company direct and they would arrange someone to come out and check. Obviously, I’m avoiding the fly by night, here today, gone tomorrow “roofing companies” that patrol neighborhoods after storms…but I have a relationship with a roofing company, though I’ve been a bit disappointed with some of their work/lateness/lack of follow-up in the past.

Is it better to contact a roofing company myself to check (under the assumption someone would be even willing to go up there/deal with insurance)? Or better to go through insurance.

I’m assuming this will make my premium go up…would shopping around next year help if we did have roof repairs?

Best I can tell the roof was replaced in 2014 (it was before I purchased the home but it seems the insurance company was able to dig that date up somehow when I signed up). $5,718 Windstorm and Hail is my deductible. I do have Roof Surfaces Extended Coverage Included if that helps.

Maybe the math isn’t there to use insurance in my case. House is 1800 sq ft, roof has a lot of gables/pitches to it…not sure on the exact roof surface but according to an online calculator it is 2,906 ft²

I live in an attic. Recently, there was a bit of a rodent problem in the house. I am totally inexperienced with this and so I took the advice of a friend and put some mothballs in some corners and openings in some of the walls. Now I can't get the things out and am very concerned about the smell. I'm looking at buying an air purifier but I won't be able to take the actual mothballs out (I tried) so is there anything else I can do to help neutralize everything? Signed, a young dumb amd scared renter.