Questions tagged [diy-vs-pro]
for questions about whether a job can be undertaken by a competent DIYer or whether it's one to be left to the professionals. Please do not use this tag unless the question is asking specifically about whether or not a DIYer can do a job.
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DIY Attic ladder or hire someone?
This is what my attic access looks like. Is it feasible to install ladder access myself or should I hire someone?
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Changing ceiling light fixture [closed]
The answers here seem quite convoluted. I am putting up two new ceiling light fixtures in my hallway. My house is 5 years old. The first one was straightforward; I turned off power at the panel and ...
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1
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How should I enlarge 2 holes in the top plate of a lally column to match beam holes. The four holes were incorrectly measured. See Photo
GC removed rusted lally column, but they screwed up and only 2 holes aligned enough to bolt. Remaining 2 holes have to be drilled out to align with my beam that holds up the house. Told GC not to ...
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Need Help with Building a Deck in Ontario - Post-beam connection issues
I’m in the process of building a deck in Ontario, Canada, and I’ve followed a design from Home Depot. However, I’m having concerns about the connection between the post and beam or rim joist as ...
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Can a series of standard outlets share the feed for a 60A pool circuit?
I have a residential living space above a detached garage in central Texas. The structures were built in the 1998-2000 timeframe. There is a circuit on which a series of outlets stopped working ...
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Shed Repair Questions and Guidance
I've got a bit of a project on my hands, and I'm hoping to tap into the wisdom of this awesome community for some guidance. I've got an 18ft L x 12ft W x 7.5ft H shed that's been around longer than I'...
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Can I update my dual-handle faucet without replacing the entire thing?
I want to replace these rotting hot/cold handles. Hoping it’s easy enough to do myself. The base part that’s rotting out, is it necessary and easy to remove? Thinking I want to remove it and not ...
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2
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Home Footing Falling apart
My wife and I recently bought a house and noticed how poor the footing on the house looked. We’re wanting to repair it, but I do not have much experience with this stuff.
It seems to be some sort of ...
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Driveway Concrete Help
New here. I wonder if anyone here can help me with supplies, dimensions, type of concrete, rebar type, and other things I will need to fill in a driveway area with concrete.
Story: So, when I bought ...
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2
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How do I add central AC to my existing central heat system?
We currently have central heating. The unit is in the attic. The duct work is also in the attic.
How would I go about adding central AC to my existing setup? How would I go about doing this my self?...
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Can I replace the non-sliding glass unit in a window?
I have a Ply Gem horizontal slider window that I installed 2 yrs ago and the glass on the non-sliding window portion cracked. Can I just purchase another same size window (71.5 in. x 35.5 in.) and ...
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182
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Paint flashing after touch up [duplicate]
We recently had our dining room decorated by professionals (about 3 weeks ago).
This week we had to do some touch-ups ourselves after a stain got on our wall. We used a roller however unfortunately ...
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Wiring LED Halo Cup Lights To Existing Fixture
I took down a fluorescent Light fixture. To start the chain and install LED CUP Halo lights but there are 7 Wires total in the box and two sets of wires.
3 White wires in a bundle
3 Black wires in a ...
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171
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Using “stud pops” for finding the center of a stud
I bought this “studpop” gadget a while back and I know for a fact that the ball “pops” to the center (see picture) when it finds a stud behind the wall. Now my question is - does this position ...
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397
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Is my Point of Connection to Utility supply-side or load-side?
I'm applying for my PV permit in San Diego (power company is SDG&E), and on step 10 of the template it asks about "Point of Connection to Utility". I'm not sure which my plan falls under....
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Precision in Home Improvement, or: How to Trust a Laser Level?
Even though I enjoy DIY, I also suffer from a certain amount of anxiety about it, especially when tolerances have to be tight. If the Internet's advice is that a certain thing needs to be square, or ...
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101
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What could be causing this leak?
Looked at my water meter, and noticed it was slowly running even though everything in the house was turned off upon inspecting around my home. Noticed there’s a leak that’s been steady growing the ...
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3
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Advice for Sagging Cosmetic Beam & Drywall Damage [closed]
I was visiting my mom and just noticed this in her custom home built in the late 1980s (not og owner). There are 2 long beams spanning the width of the house (East to West).
On the Eastern side of “...
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4
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What tape/padding to use for surface so electronics don't slide on it?
I fashioned a wooden surface/portable desk for my car that sits tilted. I am wondering what can I cover it with so electronics like phones and tablets can sit on it inclined and not slide off. What ...
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When does pouring concrete yourself become a bad idea?
I am thinking about a small to medium backyard project which requires pouring in a relatively small concrete slab. I know I can rent a concrete mixer which has 3-10 cu. ft. capacity. Concrete ...
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How do I test voltage without a ground/confirm a good circuit?
For context, I recently moved (into a very old home) and I have a series of recessed lights operating on a single switch. All but one light fine... what I assume is the last in the series does not. ...
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Issues with CAT3 Cabling
Having some issues with the CAT3 cable in my home. A few weeks ago, I added a 4 to 1 coax converter to the access panel in my office area as that is where the main coax cable entered my apartment.
I ...
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Hot tub wiring?
I would like to set up my hot tub wiring a few months before my tub arrives, I would also like to do it DYI. The run I'm panning is 100' from the main panel to the tub. The hot tub (Bullfrog) requires ...
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How do I install a new bathroom exhaust fan?
So I need a plug like shown in the picture (what is the name of this type of plug?) Every exhaust fan I've looked at has the standard plug so perhaps there is an adapter or something? Any help would ...
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Bistro chair cushion fix/replace?
I have a pair of bistro chairs that are metal with a wire frame and have round seats. The cushions are wood (I believe) topped with foam. The seat frame is completely empty, with just a thin rim ...
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Swamp Cooler AND Humidifier in One System
I am moving to Colorado, where having a whole house Evaporative (Swamp) Cooler is both effective and low cost option for cooling my home.
Additionally, Colorado is drier, so a whole house humidifier ...
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Gen on backfeed breaker won't power GCFIs
I've been doing research online to try to help me narrow down things. Here's what I've got:
I bought a small (3500W) generator with a floating neutral. It has a 120v 3wire TT30 receptacle. No special ...
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371
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How can I use 8' chain link terminal posts for a 6' fence?
My sister bought some material so I could build her a chain link fence. I never built one before and don’t know what exact measurements would I need.
She wants a 6ft fence so she bought the mesh as ...
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Kitchen shelf placement
I've bought a large, wooden kitchen shelf that I wanted to build up onto a wall above the stove, but my roommate said the heat from the stove will destroy the wood, and will become a health and safety ...
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What protects an installer from drilling a hole in joist and not hit anything?
I've found the 'where' to drill a hole in the joist span to run wire across ceiling cavity (multi-story on first floor so no attic access). What I can't find is how does someone drilling from an ...
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Fridge: frost build up on coils
Our fridge started to get warmer a few days ago. Because we keep medicines for my daughter, I always keep a thermometer inside. From the usual 3C-5C that I used to see, over a few days the temperature ...
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How can I tell if there is a trap in my floor drain?
I’m a bartender at a restaurant that is in an old gas station building. The floor drain that the sinks behind the bar drain into frequently smells like rancid meat farts, which is quite embarrassing ...
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Best method to use carpet samples squares to create a Rug? [closed]
I have plenty of carpet samples and I wanted to make an area rug with them.
I would like to make a rug out of them, maybe I can create a pattern with the carpet squares and then glue them to some ...
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Building a Wire Mesh Basket for Under a Table
I'm looking into the possibility of DIYing the table in the picture below (taken from here):
I've found many great tutorials for a rough approximation of the legs (although mine will be four straight ...
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Can I move a light switch from a 3 gang box to a second 3 gang box above it?
new to the forum so sorry if this is a little confusing. I just moved into a newly constructed home. At the front of the house, there are two 3-gang boxes an inch on top of one another. They are all ...
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Attach shower to roman tub
I have a Roman Tub at my home and want to attach a shower to it. My plan was to find an adaptor that could attach to the roman tub faucet and connect with a shower diverter, attach and mount handheld ...
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How can I temporarily disable a garden hose tap without an interior valve?
I have a water tap in the garden of the house. My little son keeps opening it regardless of how tight I close it. I would like to seal it off. I was hoping to find a metal cylinder shape element ...
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Does pre-installing whole home surface mount conduit have a substantial impact on cost of bringing pre-1960s electrical up to code?
I live in a century house that was converted into 3 apartments (basement, main floor, attic) in the 1960s or earlier in an area that has adopted NEC 2017. The basement was finished during that remodel,...
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HELP! Need advice for Bike Wall mount
So the first installation of my bike mount, I failed miserably because the wall isn't completely straight above the door and has a slight angle to it. I thought it'd still be able to hold up my bike ...
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What do I need to do to clean/restore these floor tiles?
We have a porch on a 1930s property in the UK which has red tiles on the floor. I believe they are original and in good need of a clean up and maybe some additional work. What do I need to do to get ...
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How can I use door opening to open separate flap with levers?
I am searching for a mechanical solution for my gate with lever and counterweights.
The space under my gate is too large when closed and my dogs can escape under. However the door opens up on an ...
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2
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Can I cut a 2" thick marble slab myself?
I've picked up a 27"x27"x2" piece of marble countertop off the street. I'd like to clean it up and use it, but I'd also like to trim it down.
I don't mind doing it myself, but want to make sure I'm ...
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My Acacia dining table starting to show some huge splits or cracks
We got this Acacia dining table from costco and noticed after a year or so it started to crack on one end.
Initially the crack was pretty tiny and now it's very noticable.I was wondering what are the ...
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Nest thermostat e heat link replacing the old danfoss
I really need help with replacing this current danfoss thermostat with a new nest thermostat e heat hub. I'm in the UK.
Below is the new heatlink just need to know what wires I need to wire and what ...
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Asbestos in wall?
Was removing wallpaper, there's a gap between the doorframe and wall, does this look like asbestos?
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I suspect my house has asbestos since it was made in 1969 and has popcorn ceilings. This is what I have found about asbestos
As the title says, my house was built in 1969 and has popcorn ceiling, so according to many readings on my research it's very likely that the ceiling and possibly other parts of the house has asbestos....
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Is it a bad idea to tie output of hot water heater to sump pump drain?
I bought a house and I have a leaking hot water heater (appliance is from 2001). I'd say it fills up an 8 ounce cup after two hot 10-15 minute showers. I had a plumber come out and he replaced the ...
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Help decide course of action for rotting windows
I have a 30 year old house in Chicago. We have original double pane wood windows. The interior portions are in good condition. No rotting and all the seals are good and there is NO fogging between ...
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re-combine shower and tub in master bath
I have separate tub and shower, and the shower plumbing is in the wall that separates the two, and the tub faucet is on the deck (?) of the fiberglass tub.
I am considering doing away with the tub ...
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Air Conditioner: Panel Malfunction
I have an old window A/C unit which the electronic panel is malfunctioning.
Basically, it keeps changing randomly the settings (watch the video). Examples:
If I set the fan to low, after a while it ...
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