The remodeling tag has no wiki summary.
16
votes
17answers
3k views
What is an affordable 2D drafting software for amateurs?
Background: We have about 1500 feet of unfinished basement that I am contemplating finishing off into a "grandma suite". Before getting serious about the project, however, I would like to play around ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I install a new, non load bearing wall in my basement?
I'm looking to finish my basement and simply want to wall off the concrete blocks that make up the wall. I want to insulate it as well so that it becomes a usable family room when I'm done. How do I ...
8
votes
1answer
291 views
Which is least likely to crack due to high traffic, large or small tile?
Consider a kitchen on pier-beam flooring with two doors allowing traffic to flow through it.
The floor is 10x10 feet. I plan to tile and would like to minimize risk of cracking. Which size tile would ...
7
votes
8answers
3k views
How common are wet rooms in the US?
I have a half bath to which I'd like to add a shower. It is quite small; currently, the smallest shower pan I've found (32"x32") is too large to fit. I've considered turning the entire room into a ...
5
votes
2answers
497 views
How can I move a non load bearing wood frame wall?
I am remodeling my basement and want to move the location of a non-load bearing wall that is diving a section of my basement. Currently the wall is down to the bare wooden studs. The header was nailed ...
5
votes
1answer
427 views
How do I identify support beams?
I'd like to remodel a couple rooms in our home, but am unsure how to identify support beams when the time comes. Are there any easily-identifiable things I should look for to keep my house from ...
5
votes
2answers
266 views
Is it code-legal to have a circuit breaker box within a storage room?
I am currently in the process of planning a room remodel to convert an existing bedroom into a home office and storage room. One thing that makes this conversion a little bit tricky, is the existence ...
5
votes
2answers
112 views
How should I patch a popcorn ceiling?
I had to repair a corner joint between my kitchen and living ceiling (kitchen is ceiling lower than living room) by scraping the popcorn off of the kitchen ceiling and replacing a metal corner bead.
...
5
votes
1answer
650 views
How should I convert a double sink to a single sink?
We are going to remodel our bathroom which currently has two sinks (and not that much cabinet/drawer storage) to a single sink with larger (and more) drawers for storage.
Under the current double ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Do I have to check if my floor is level before installing new linoleum (from a roll, not tiles)?
I just tore up my old linoleum flooring and will be installing new linoleum in the next few days. Some internet research has revealed that I need to make sure the floor is level and, if it is not ...
4
votes
3answers
869 views
Is having a window in a room that is below grade a requirement?
This would be in Charlotte, NC, Mecklenburg County. I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that rooms that are below grade are required to have a full size window in them or they can't be considered ...
4
votes
1answer
355 views
Do products like Ditra make tile removal more complicated?
Products like DITRA are great to use when installing tile, but I can't help wondering what it'll be like to remove the tile later. Is it more difficult to remove tile that's been laid on this type of ...
4
votes
1answer
309 views
How can I tell if a slab foundation can be built on?
I am purchasing a small one-story home built in 1955. I want to turn the garage into living space. The home sits on a crawlspace, but the garage is on a slab that was added to the side and abuts the ...
4
votes
1answer
236 views
Should I use caulk or grout between the edge of a tiled bathroom floor and the walls?
I just tiled my bathroom floor. What should I put between the tiles and the walls, silicone or grout?
3
votes
3answers
5k views
How should I tile under kitchen cabinets?
I currently have tile on the floor of the kitchen that just butts up to my cabinets. I plan to change the floors and also change the cabinets. Is is best to rip out all the cabinets and tile, and ...
3
votes
5answers
158 views
Which comes first - Flooring or Kitchen Remodel?
My wife and I are going to upgrade multiple parts of our house but we really want two key areas completed first, but we're not sure where to start or if we should do then at the same time, which is ...
3
votes
2answers
783 views
Can I install laminate flooring over linoleum which is torn?
I have a small hallway/entryway with cheap linoleum. (Approximately 8 ft by 3 ft.) Part of it is torn, exposing the concrete floor underneath.
I have enough laminate (simulated wood) flooring left ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Remodeling a pre-1920's home with planks on the interior walls
I own an older home in central PA; my guess it is pre-1920's and I was going to remodel the living room and insulate the walls and run new wiring. The walls are horse hair plaster; when I removed the ...
3
votes
1answer
402 views
What is the proper way to frame in a room?
I'm looking to frame in this room (photo 2) to utilize the space for a 1st floor bathroom / 1st floor laundry room / storage.
I think I have the process down having seen my uncles and brothers houses ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
How far can I move ceiling joists up?
The second floor of our house has a fairly low ceiling, perhaps 6'8" or 6'10".
The width of the structure is only about 16' with standard construction and the ceiling joists running parallel to to the ...
1
vote
1answer
308 views
How can I remove the tile from this wall?
Doing a tile removal on our master tub/shower. I'm pretty sure the tile is original to the house, which is 34 years old (1978). It's a 4 1/4 inch tile, that has been backed by dry wall. When I was ...
1
vote
2answers
732 views
What is the expense and difficulty of moving an exterior kitchen wall?
I'm considering a kitchen remodel, that is in the front-right corner of a house, and surrounded by a covered deck on both sides. The deck extends out 8ft in the front and 9ft on the right.
I'd like ...
1
vote
1answer
150 views
Should I choose cordless hammer drill for home improvement? I'm a green bird for it [closed]
I'm planning to do home remodeling all by myself and now I'm preparing for all the necessary tools.
When considering cordless hammer drill, I'm at a lost. I found that the cordless hammer drill was ...
1
vote
3answers
204 views
What information do I need to size a sawn or hewn beam?
I have a load bearing wall in my house that a previous occupant decided to cut a hole in to make things feel more open. They did not add a header, much to my chagrin. I'm planning to put an exposed ...
1
vote
2answers
115 views
Why cordless hammer drill possess such few markets in Europe?What's the difference between hammer drill and impact drill? [closed]
Recently, I found in a GfK data report that cordless hammer drills have very little market share in Europe. But to my opinion, we use it very often when doing home improvement or building something. ...
1
vote
1answer
389 views
Refrigerator enclosure dimensions
We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. One of the bigger tasks is to take an existing tiny pantry area (10" deep) and expand it to become a refrigerator enclosure.
I know the standard ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
How can I add two bathroom receptacles behind and above a vanity?
Background
I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel, and had to take off some drywall to get the tub in, then thought I may as well take all the drywall on that side off to give me an easier taping ...
0
votes
3answers
131 views
How to repair this shower/bathroom wall for bathroom remodel.
I have a nasty bathroom downstairs. It looks like the previous owners built it over a floor drain, not entirely sure if this is a good thing or not (not even sure if that's what they did but see ...
0
votes
1answer
97 views
What's the expense of moving in an exterior living room wall? [closed]
To meet code (for a two-unit rental) we will need to move the exterior wall of a house next to a driveway in (note not out but in) by one foot (so the driveway can be 12 foot wide; it is currently ...
-1
votes
2answers
567 views
When to stop a backsplash? [closed]
We have a kitchen with a U shaped with a peninsula that divides the kitchen and the living room/dining room. If the end of the peninsula is against a black wall, how far up the wall do we stop the ...
