Questions tagged [old-house]
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2
votes
1answer
204 views
Safety when modifying old electrical work
I have a relatively old house, built in the 1950s. I am slowly updating it to have smart switches etc., but the existing electrical wiring is fairly haphazard. Just yesterday I replaced a dimmer ...
0
votes
3answers
53 views
Can I use separate circuits for Light / Ceiling fan combo for future backup power integration?
I am in the process of rewiring my 100 year old house.
I would like to use 14/3 wire from the breaker box to run 2 separate circuits, one side will be just lights, the other side will be just for ...
0
votes
2answers
56 views
Old house, no ground wire, hoping for protection of new computer?
So, I live in an older house. My current computer has happily plugged into a surge protector, which in turn plugged into a 3 prong adapter into the two pronged outlet for 8+ years. The surge ...
1
vote
0answers
47 views
Old electrical box - how to cover?
I'm replacing and old Rittenhouse doorbell transformer as part of a smart doorbell upgrade. My problem is that the screw spacing of the cover (of which the transformer is embedded) doesn't seem to ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Tiling over broken fireplace hearth
My flat is an old Glasgow tenement flat built around 1900.
When I bought the place, the fireplace had been badly covered.
I now want to do the fireplace up so removed the covering.
I am planning to:
...
3
votes
2answers
441 views
1730 House how to make Ceiling Level
We had a fire last year and had to remove our plaster ceilings. We’re left with beams that have all kinds of shims etc. that were used to level the lath. Every drywaller has had a different idea of ...
1
vote
0answers
45 views
What's this exterior wall treatment and how should I paint it?
I need to paint the exterior walls of this house, but I am not sure what is the material of the walls.
I know this type of houses came from Finland to to south of Argentina because they are excellent ...
3
votes
1answer
98 views
Is it okay to reuse Alumiconn connectors?
After having redone the aluminum-to-copper pigtails in my house's electrical outlets using AlumiConn connectors, I subsequently had to undo a few to debug a wiring problem. All I did is unscrew the ...
0
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0answers
29 views
Adding dedicate circuit to old panel
I want to add a dedicated circuit for a wall heater in the bathroom. Attached is a picture of my power panel. How do I tell if I have enough room to add to my existing panel? Housing is currently knob ...
5
votes
3answers
218 views
Mystery current on neutral wires coming into outlet box
In reworking outlets and switches in our 1960's California home to use AlumiConn connectors + copper pigtails where needed (instead of older wire nuts + Noalox), I came across a duplex wall box in the ...
0
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0answers
54 views
Can I use old cloth-jacketed wiring to power a new light?
I removed some wood paneling in a hallway closet and found this wire bundle between the studs. Is this electrical wires? Can I reuse this to install a light source for the closet?
4
votes
2answers
136 views
Two way door lock for thin door
I'm converting one of the rooms in my 1840 house into an office. The thing is I have 5 kids and need to be able to lock the door so I can have some level of quiet. I also don't want the kids tinkering ...
2
votes
1answer
184 views
Passing wire down through Exterior Wall
Replacing some old wiring with crumbling insulation. One of the wires passes down through an exterior wall from the attic, to an outlet on the second floor, and continues down to the first floor.
I ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Hardware for a barn/sliding door that cantilevers into free space when open
I've salvaged an old door from a neighbor's demolition to upgrade the door of my small laundry closet.
I thought it would be interesting to mount the door as a sliding barn door, both as a visual ...
0
votes
1answer
93 views
my house has old warped joists. Is joist blocking safe?
I purchased a house built in 1960 and like other people have mentioned the terrible bounce, I got the same exact situation.
I'm thinking of installing blocking to strengthen the floor.
The 7 joists ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
Is joist blocking safe on these old warped joists?
I purchased a house built in 1960 and like other people have mentioned the terrible bounce, I got the same exact situation.
I'm thinking of installing blocking to strengthen the floor.
The 7 joists ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
How old is my house?
Have purchased an older home in Corinth, MS (No. Mississippi) and found that ALL the walls are T&G on the inside with shiplap on the exterior (the exterior has been resided with vinyl which will ...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
No grounding wire in an old house?
My new house was built in 1966 and I've been told by the inspector and the electrician that put in the GFCI outlets that the meter and box are grounded but that no third wire was run through the house....
0
votes
2answers
63 views
Remove old light box with a stud and nut anchor
I read a post asking this question, but there is no answer for actually removing the box. I do want to remove the box to install a retrofit recessed LED light. My bungalow was built in 1952. All ...
1
vote
1answer
53 views
Trying to change out a ceiling fan need help… 5 wires
I'm in an old house. I removed and replaced 2 out of 3 with no problem. I get to the third and there are 5 wires: 2 black, 2 white/cream, and one bare copper wire. I think I have it hooked up right ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Is is okay to run 4" PVC drain pipe on the outside of a house?
I have to run 4" drain pipe for the washer that is on the second floor, but, the building being old and all, I wouldn't want to rip the floors, instead, I was thinking of running the drain on the ...
0
votes
1answer
69 views
Hanging heavy things on old walls. Running out of options. What would you do
Just moved in to an old victorian home and the wife wants shelves in the mud room. Now I know what you are thinking "Shelves?! Seriously?!", Just hear me out.
These are 6 foot shelves with 4 steel ...
1
vote
1answer
464 views
Old structure: 2X4 studs at 24'' on center
I have an old freestanding 2-car garage on my property that needs a lot of work. There are some major rot issues where the sills were sitting in water for a long time. Which brings me to the issue: ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
Air brick in old Toronto home?
We have a house that was built in 1937 in Toronto. It is a double brick design. On one of the outside walls, I can see what appears to be a single-brick-sized vent and I don't know what its function ...
3
votes
1answer
98 views
New plaster over top of exposed horsehair plaster in Bathroom
I've taken wainscoting off of my bathroom wall that seems to have been around since the house was built (1900). Under one of the walls is an exposed horsehair plaster that was done right up against ...
19
votes
1answer
3k views
What is this balloon with “eyes” printed on it, hanging from the eave on this house?
I have seen this, or something very similar on various houses in the city I live in. It is rare enough to be remarkable, but common enough to make me think it is a "thing". Any ideas?
4
votes
2answers
129 views
Minimum ampacity for circuits in a home from 1964
I’m attempting to fact-check a seemingly very dubious claim from my landlord, but I’m having a great deal of trouble finding useful information on older electrical codes, especially in a form that I ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
What kind of appliance(s) used to be here? [closed]
I'm remodeling a room in a fairly old house (~100 yrs), and I discovered a capped-off gas pipe behind some framing+drywall that had been hastily installed whenever this room had been converted into a ...
0
votes
2answers
323 views
Adapting 3/4 gas outlet to 1/2" appliance?
One of these things is not like the other. That's a 3/4 gas outlet and a gas dryer with a 1/2" fitting. What's the best approach to making them connect? The dryer is old so I'm a bit leery of trying ...
1
vote
3answers
649 views
What hard material is behind the plaster on interior walls in my 1920s apartment?
I moved into an old (c. 1920s) rental apartment building in the northeastern US (Philadelphia) and would like to hang pictures and secure some furniture.
I tried putting nails in several places ...
1
vote
0answers
120 views
bleeding radiator without access to the bleeder valve
I've got a cast iron radiator where the end with the bleeder valve is shoved up against a wall. Is there any other way to bleed a radiator? Supply and return pipes are at top and bottom of the ...
0
votes
2answers
116 views
If I want to expose the beams of my ceiling, is it sufficient to just install roofing insulation?
I own a house built in the 1930s. I live in San Francisco in the Bayview district where it’s fairly sunny similarly to the Mission District. This house is all lath and plaster and because of which I ...
1
vote
1answer
290 views
I need to know how to replace a water damaged wood rotten stud in a wall
I just bought a house built in 1930. The previous owners had a crack in the shower. I need to know how to replace the stud that holds up that wall as it is now rotten from water damage. The drywall is ...
0
votes
3answers
82 views
Dog-friendly mouse hunting strategies after a year of using standard products?
TL;DR: When commercial products have been ineffective or proven dog-unfriendly, what are some other mouse-catching strategies when the mice hide in baseboard heaters and have learned to avoid most ...
0
votes
1answer
104 views
Sagging Floors and loose floorboards
My house is about 118 years old and I can tell from all around the house that there seems to be a sagging on my floors in one specific area. This sagging is obvious in the first and second floor. Now ...
1
vote
0answers
297 views
Can I ground a new light to an old metal box via a switch yoke?
All of my switches are installed in old metal boxes with no threaded ground screw holes. The boxes are wired using old cloth BX with no ground wire(grounded via casing). Some of the BX wire ...
1
vote
1answer
249 views
How do I fix metal clad wood casement windows that won't close?
I recently purchased a house that built in 1937. I believe the windows are original, and they are all casement windows. I'm not sure of the correct term, but the windows are clad in metal with a slot, ...
1
vote
2answers
125 views
metal looking ball dust in attic, dangerous?
I was installing insulation in our attic. On the beams, there was this metal looking ball dust. Any clue what it is? Was exposed to by breathing it breifly, then skin contact for a few hours. I have ...
3
votes
1answer
730 views
Removing old electrical box in ceiling
I have hit an obstacle in my quest to replace my light fixture. The current electrical box in the ceiling is a very old type as shown in the picture I attached.
How does one go about removing this? ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
1
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2answers
339 views
Leveling a sinking 1st floor addition that is about 4' off the ground [closed]
First time home buyer looking for good advice about possibly raising a sunken 2 room addition ourselves. Wood frame, the sill is in good shape no rotting.
No warping or "cupping" of the rooms. The ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
How to get rid of old house smell?
Our house is pretty old.
It had an old house smell when we bought it.
It's not a mold smell, not a sewer, not cat urine.
It's a smell of old wooden furniture or books.
The house has hardwood floors ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
What is this metal bar in my 1950s electrical box?
I recently bought a house and am in the process of replacing all the ungrounded outlets with GFCI outlets. I was able to install one correctly in a bedroom, but there are two others that I wasn't able ...
2
votes
1answer
167 views
How to repair integrated window screens from a 1930s house?
I'm purchasing a house built in 1937. All the windows and fixtures are original.
A fair number of the windows have an integrated screen that pulls down from the top of the window. The tracks are ...
25
votes
5answers
10k views
What should be done before using a fireplace that has not been used in decades?
We are moving into a house with a fire-place.
The current tenants (friends of ours),
have been living there just short of 2 decades, and have never used it once.
The house is about 90 years old, so it ...
1
vote
3answers
68 views
toilet troubles
I have a brass tube for water coming into a toilet in my very old farmhouse. The shut off valve failed and I had to cut the tube and am now trying to fix it... to no avail. We are three days without ...
1
vote
5answers
127 views
Natural ant/insect repellent [closed]
Please suggest some natural ant/insect repellent that I can use to get rid of the ants/ticks/insects.
I started using clorox but I would prefer something natural.
Thank you so much
0
votes
1answer
511 views
How to install ceiling lights in old houses
My house is quite old and I'm having trouble installing ceiling lights. Due to the age of the building, proper light fittings (e.g. where I can screw in a light bracket) were never installed. Instead, ...
1
vote
1answer
595 views
What can I use to back a door jamb strike plate with no framing behind?
So I'm trying to replace the original entrance handleset door lock from my almost 100 year old house and after removing the old lock and patching up the holes. I looked inside the door jamb and ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Is it OK if the house's roof makes noise
I moved from Europe to the USA(OH). I noticed a couple of things that worry me. Every house in the US that I entered makes cracking or squeaking noise. I never experienced this in Europe buildings.
I ...
