5
votes
1answer
621 views
Why is my (white) painted plaster going brown on the borders of the underlying plasterboard?
We've recently had our spare bedroom ceiling plastered, and there was a loosish bit of plasterboard that was secured by the plasterer before skimming the entire ceiling.
After painting it I observed ...
4
votes
2answers
705 views
Driveway Gutter / Rain Guide?
Our house was built a little over 20 years ago. The person who paved the asphalt driveway didn't grade it right, so in addition to the slight downward slope towards the road, it has alternating ...
4
votes
1answer
360 views
Why am I having trouble starting my gas hedge trimmer?
I was running the trimmer I had just bought 2nd hand. I ran it great for about 10 minutes when it suddenly throttled high. I released the gas right away and it died and hasn't started again since ...
1
vote
1answer
249 views
Fix intermittent connection problem in a monorail low voltage light fixture
I have a WAC low-voltage monorail (probably a SOLORAIL model) that is about 7 years old. The rail is about 12 ft long and has four fixtures attached.
For the past 2 years, one of the fixtures has ...
2
votes
2answers
347 views
How do I replace ceiling drywall over cabinets?
I recently had some water damage to my ceiling after a storm. For the most part, it's a simple cut out and replace procedure, but I'm stuck wondering what to do in the kitchen. There's about 1'x2' ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Gap in sealant round edge of bath, mould underneath, what to replace with
For the past couple of months I noticed a gap developing between the sealant (caulk) round the edge of the bath-shower (behind the taps) and the tiles. I'd been meaning to do something about it for a ...
2
votes
1answer
438 views
Why does water come from toilet supply when water to house is shut off?
I turned off the water to the house to change the valve on a toilet supply line. All of the faucets and the tub were cut off but water kept coming out of the toilet line when I removed the valve. It ...
1
vote
3answers
114 views
Safest weed killers?
Are there any weed killers that aren't endocrine disruptors or carcinogens?
I'm at war with dandelions, but prefer a few dandelions to cancer or reproductive damage, most days.
9
votes
4answers
5k views
Can someone explain to me how this hot water recirculating system works?
How is my hot water recirculating system installed?
... and why is it not working like it should?
Moved into a house recently that was built in 2006. There is a hot water recirculating pump ...
1
vote
1answer
411 views
Shower gets colder during use, already replaced cartridge, what else could it be?
Recently purchased a house built in 2006. The shower gets colder as time passes and requires constant adjustment of the valve in order to maintain temperature. I replaced the cartridge in the valve ...
2
votes
2answers
190 views
How to remove trim caulk orange peeled wall
We're replacing the trim in our room, but the trim that is there is taller than the trim that we want to replace it with. So after removing the old trim, there's a caulk line for the original.
The ...
6
votes
5answers
2k views
Do I need a wood hardener for worn door hinge screw holes?
My house had a door removed by previous owners. The recesses in the jambs for hinges and catch were filled in with pieces of board (I don't know exactly what, but not solid timber), and painted over.
...
0
votes
2answers
377 views
Is is possible to retrofit a wood-burning stove into an existing gas central heating system?
Our house has gas-fired central heating, but fuel costs in the winter are very high (it get's very cold here!). I've been toying with the idea of a wood burning stove.
I'm wondering whether, rather ...
4
votes
3answers
199 views
Septic Replacement: Can I Do it Myself?
I am looking at a property with a serious fixer-upper on it. I want to place a mobile home on the property while gutting out existing building to see if it can be renovated. My question is about the ...
7
votes
1answer
372 views
What should I look for when buying a frameless mirror?
What should I look for when buying a frameless, full length mirror to mount on a bedroom wall? It will be mounted close to a light switch (not that I think that matters). I understand that mirrors ...
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Mixed Shade/Light Grass issues
I like in Northeastern PA and just bought a new home. It has about a half acre to it. Last year they dug a new well and the ruts the truck left planted new grass. It looks horrible. The new grass ...
2
votes
1answer
358 views
painting a cork floor (previously coated with polyurethane varnish)
Our cork kitchen floor has a white stain and coated with 3 coats of polyurethane varnish two years ago. But the varnish has begun to wear through and the cork colour is visible.
We were never happy ...
8
votes
2answers
421 views
Large voltage swing on incoming main hot line- definitely outside?
So for much of last fall, I had an issue of flickering lights in my house (half of the house seemed to flicker in unison). Back in December, I called the electric company, who came out, and claimed ...
2
votes
1answer
209 views
insulating exterior walls
I have an old house with no insulation. The walls are 2x4 with plaster and lath. The outside is aluminum siding, in good shape. I would like to blow cellulose insulation inside the wall cavities from ...
4
votes
4answers
10k views
Why is it bad to flush baby wipes?
I've always heard that you shouldn't flush baby wipes because
They don't dissolve in your septic system
They can clog old pipes.
I currently live in a modern, multi-story apartment building. There ...
4
votes
1answer
802 views
AC in the attic affects downstairs but not upstairs
We have one AC unit (roughly 1 year old) connected to two zones: Zone 1 is upstairs and Zone 2 is downstairs.
Yesterday, our AC seemed to completely stop working for the upstairs but continue to work ...
5
votes
1answer
149 views
Is it important to use special fasteners in treated wood for non-structural applications?
I'm getting ready to install under-floor insulation in my yurt platform. These are 2" x 4' x 8' foam panels under a 1 1/8" plywood floor, between 4" x 6" 0.40 ACQ pressure treated joists. The foam ...
2
votes
1answer
444 views
How can one test a sewage ejector pump?
I have a sewer ejector pump in my basement but it's in a sealed well. There are two electric cords running into it. How does one test it? For maintenance reasons. Can this only be done by a plumber?
...
3
votes
1answer
388 views
Shower head washer woes
I was installing a new shower head (Brand: Niagara Earth), and apparently overtightened it, cracking the washer in the process. Unfortunately, it seems to be a specialty type of washer that has an ...
3
votes
3answers
246 views
Why is my tall fescue wilting?
I currently live in North Carolina and this past fall I had tall fescue sod and an irrigation system put in my backyard. This spring I used Scotts fertilizer (in March). Since then I have been ...
1
vote
5answers
294 views
Light fixture inside knee-wall storage
We framed knee walls in our attic and want to use the areas behind them for storage. These areas are triangular in cross-section, about 3' high at the knee wall, and of course the ceiling hits the ...
3
votes
1answer
273 views
My deck dies in a funny pattern — does that mean this board is upside-down?
My deck looks like this after it rains.
One board and parts of others are damp for a long time after everything else has dried. What could cause this and is it hard to fix?
My only guess is ...
2
votes
2answers
365 views
What extra conduit should I include in a utility trench?
I'm putting in a trench with electricity + water + phone from the street to a future house site. The trench will be around 150' long. The electricity and phone will each be in their own conduit, ...
12
votes
10answers
4k views
What is the easiest way to remove a large root in a post hole I'm digging?
I'm digging a 36" deep post hole for a fence I'm putting up, and about 15" down I ran into a very large root. Since the root seems to be running almost directly in line with the fence, and there isn't ...
2
votes
1answer
161 views
Should my boiler be serviced annually?
I have a oil-fueled boiler that provides steam heat in the winter and hot water all year. Should I have it inspected and serviced annually? If so, what should such a service entail?
3
votes
4answers
3k views
What is the cheapest way to add texture to a wall
The previous home owners used a perforating tool to remove wallpaper, and just painted over all the holes and lines. I am in desperate need of some texture with no budget. I need to put a new baby ...
4
votes
3answers
561 views
How to tidily integrate power into an island
I'm currently running the ducts for wiring into my gutted kitchen and was wondering how best to integrate power into my island.
I've seen pop-up products like this and this that fit nicely into the ...
2
votes
2answers
261 views
Where should I place a stove master switch on an island?
We're having our kitchen redone and I would like to integrate our free-standing stove into the island unit.
Where would be decent place to put the stove master switch within this island as there are ...
2
votes
1answer
193 views
How to mitigate and/or repair concrete frets (slab edge wetting)
A building engineer made a report of problems with our property. One issue raised was "slab edge wetting" by which the building engineer meant that the concrete slab on which the house is built is ...
6
votes
1answer
114 views
Selecting a sliding patio door
I live in the Boulder Colorado area where we have hot intense sunny summer days, and below zero freezing winter nights. We are planning to install a sliding patio door in a south facing full sun area. ...
0
votes
2answers
136 views
Preparing surface when tiling over existing tiles
I'm retiling our bathroom and intend to tile over the top of the existing floor tiles. The floor is in fair condition at the moment with no cracking except in one place which I did myself and will ...
4
votes
1answer
311 views
How to build up concrete slurry under a new bath
I'm replacing our bath. It is a standard built-in plastic bathtub, with a concrete slurry built up underneath it. I talked to a builder some time ago who explained that it was to support the weight of ...
0
votes
1answer
116 views
Sealing, Priming, and Painting a Window
I have a house full of wooden windows with some old flaking paint. The wood is quite solid, the glass is intact and not fogging. I was planning on scraping the windows and repainting them. My question ...
5
votes
7answers
4k views
How can I remove mice from my house?
I live in a townhome which is a 2nd and 3rd floor unit. On the 3rd floor is a closet with a crawlspace entrance which is the attic. There are definitely mice running around in there.
I tried to ...
2
votes
2answers
247 views
How do I identify what my house is built of under stucco
My house is covered in stucco, I need to hang something very heavy on it, but I assume I'll need to know what's UNDER the stucco before I can attempt to hang everything (I'm assuming the answer is ...
4
votes
1answer
526 views
How do I extract a snapped off PVC nipple?
I have a 3/4" PVC sprinkler system, and one of the nipples has snapped off inside the 1/2" threaded fitting. I have a nipple extractor which has worked very well in the past but I guess this time I ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
what is the best way to restore teak outdoor furniture?
What is the best way to restore outdoor teak furniture to the original or better looking color? Teak is so beautiful when it has not been weathered. But after a few years in the rain and sun, it ...
1
vote
1answer
222 views
When should I open a skylight vent?
I have a one-floor (plus basement) house with a large skylight in the living room. It has an openable vent. When is it proper to open the vent?
Should I open it in midsummer with the AC on, on ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
How do I stop backyard from flooding when it rains hard?
Every time it rains hard, my backyard floods. The house is 54 years old, but this didn't start happening until maybe the last 4-5 years or so. Who should I talk to about fixing this problem, and what ...
8
votes
9answers
512 views
Should I purchase single tools, or a tool set?
I now happen to need a wrench to make some changes to my bed. I also realize that sometimes I may need other tools in my life as well. I was wondering
Which way to build one's own collection of ...
2
votes
2answers
470 views
Improperly installed or nonexistent brick ties in a wall
Is there as easy way to repair a brick wall that isn't properly attached to the wall behind it? There are no cracks inside the house but there is a large vertical gap between the corner brick - these ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
How to properly insulate a garage?
I'm considering insulating (and drywalling) my garage, which already has insulated garage doors. My main goal is to keep it from getting much below freezing during the winter.
This garage is located ...
3
votes
2answers
729 views
How much compaction should I get from crushed rock?
I was in the middle of moving rock into the patio area till the wee hour of midnight last night when I realized I knew my 4" mark for the paver base depth. But I have no idea how much the base is ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the size of light bulb for my ceiling fan, socket number E307185?
My ceiling fan has an unusual size fixture. It's larger than candelabra, but smaller than a standard medium. I suspect it might be intermediate, but I'm not quite willing to buy a converter with a ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Can a plumbing vent go “up” and then back “down” to the connection with the vent stack?
I am changing the location of all the fixtures in my bathroom. This move will put the toilet and sink on the opposite wall from the stack. I was originally planning on running a vent up the wall ...
