Hey all, we had a miscommunication with our contractor about how many very-likely-asbestos tiles we needed to pull up in our bathroom for a reno and accidentally pulled 20-25 rather than only the 4 we needed to pull around the drain. For some we took out that were under 2x4s, we had to break them to get them out. Wore protective clothes and used the wetting method to spray everything before scraping/breaking. Tried to seal the room but there’s cracks under the door and holes around some pipes that go into our main living area. Felt nervous enough as it was then just realized we did way more than we needed and just completely and totally guilt ridden and sick to my stomach. We have a toddler and just so worried we increased everyone’s risk and exposure so unnecessarily. I know everyone will say the anxiety’s worse than the actual hazard, so please have some compassion in your responses.

The adhesive failed. I need your advice.

Handy man is telling me the person who installed it, did it incorrectly, and he can remount.

Or I buy a top mount and replace it with that.

I’m not experienced here, but I’m thinking 20 years of wear and tear just got to it… what should I do? Remount or new top mounted? I’m not looking to remodel in the future, I just want it one and done.

I had a sump pump tech come out this morning for routine maintenance. He "discovered" what I had no idea was a problem. He showed me that the basement wall near the window wells leans in; the top is about 2 inches forward from the bottom. It's difficult to see from just eye balling but obvious when you use a level. There are no cracks or obvious defects in the wall. It's not bowing but leaning. He quoted me about $11k to install steel beams to rachet the wall back into place.

I got a second opinion from another company and they said I'm being scammed - the wall was probably built that way.

I'm getting two more opinions later this week but can anyone help weigh in? TIA

I'm finally trying to replace the caulk on my exterior window trim.

I don't know what kind of caulk the previous owners used or how old it is, but it has cracked and hardened to the point that it's more like cement.

It took me three hours to remove and replace it on a small window. I have 13 more to do and many are larger...

I started by using a razor blade scraper, but I was quickly destroying the blades.

I had better luck with a utility knife, but it was still very slow.

Has anyone used an oscillating blade like one of these?

https://diablotools.com/products/DOUSEAL

Any other tips for this sort of project?

Just curious why my HVAC is screeching after a few minutes of running. 🥴 I have no interest in trying to fix it myself…calling my landlord in the morning, but just curious. It’s so loud!

Trying to figure out how to remove this faucet. It appears to be leaking slightly - one of the supply hoses.

I've never tried working ona faucet like this, so seeking advice.

Images here: https://imgur.com/a/KoH4KxF

We have a 1950’s home and we haven’t tested it, but I know asbestos is common in ceilings from houses of this era. This chip in the ceiling has been here since we bought the house five years ago, but now I’m spiraling that I could have unintentionally exposed myself to asbestos.

chip in ceiling

I have a family member who passed away from asbestos exposure so I’m understandably panicked.

How dangerous is this and how do I remedy?
If the ceiling comes back as asbestos, should get it removed or just have someone encapsulate it by painting over it?

So a few days ago I randomly noticed the house was not getting as cool as it normally was and then proceeded to notice that the box outside the house with the big fan is not moving once the ac/thermostat kicks on. You can hear the thermostat click on and then normally the fan would kick on right after but instead I hear another click from the thermostat with no action from the fan. The fan is moving freely when pushed with a stick.

I did some research and it seemed like it could be the capacitor so I replaced that but still don't have the fan moving.

Any input on what else to check/diagnose? The house is still getting somewhat cool and air is flowing through the vents, just not as strong/cold as it was previous.

For now I have cut the breaker to the ac unit and pulled out the on/off power plug from the unit itself.

Also, Is it okay to run the system without the fan working in the meantime?

We're adding a room to a 1920's home and replacing some windows, so have some new siding plus areas to redo/patch. We'd like it to match the existing siding which is square groove with 9" exposure, which I guess means 10.25" because of the overlap. Fire codes here require fiber cement, so it looks like we're looking at something like 70 bucks per 12' plank. That's several times what 9.25" siding seems to cost. Is this right, and matching old stuff is just expensive?

I bought a place knowing I'd have to repaint a textured ceiling in one of the rooms. It looked like it had been previously painted another color (beige) and then painted over with a very thin coat of white. I noticed some places where it the texture seems to be pealing off and places where it is "bald" like someone scraped it off. After some internet searches I'm inclined to believe that the ceiling wasn't primed before the texture was sprayed (wouldn't surprise me, whoever did the interior definitely cut corners).

My first thought was to try to "seal up" the peeling spots (there aren't many, they aren't big), prime, and paint. Since it sounds like the underlying cause is that it wasn't primed to begin with, this probably won't work.

Is there anything I can do short of removing the ceiling texture or skim coating the entire ceiling that will get me a relatively normal looking ceiling that won't peal?

What kind of backsplash is best suited for my kitchen? I’m thinking of a large 24x48 cream white semi glossy tiles. Or something white with little gray stubble veins to tie in the granite with the cabinets. Which do you think is best or any other ideas are welcome. The contract is doing the work any day so I don’t have a lot of time to decide and get materials.

https://postimg.cc/nMvnvj3F

I am in desperate need of, desperate red of a device that’s able allows me to detect mice in the walls and baseboards.

Does anyone have experience with a device of this nature ? One that would allow you to see thermal heat in the shape of whatever is in the walls ??

I plan on moving, I do not need pest control, I am looking for suggestions on the device I described !!! Please !!!!

Remodeling a half bath/powder room in the midwestern US. Putting tile on 2 out of the 4 walls. And tiling the floor.

How should we transition between the wall and floor tile? Should I add baseboard and quarter round in between the transition?

Should I consider any specific schluter trim to consider?

Or just caulk?

Pros and cons and ease of maintenance would be appreciated.

The floor tile will be 6"x24" porcelain 8mm thickness

The wall tile will be 3"x9" ceraminc 9.5mm thickness

Would appreciate the advice.

Edit: will be done by a contractor

Between two dogs and a cat, our living room gets that familiar wet-fur smell whenever the weather turns humid.

Unrelated, but the dog bed also seems to take forever to dry, even with the windows open.

I started running a Veagaso dehumidifier nearby, and the bedding seems to dry faster. The musty smell has improved, too, although I still need to wash the dog bed regularly.

What humidity level do you usually aim for in a home with pets? Any other tricks for keeping damp bedding and that wet-dog smell under control?

We need a new hot water heater. With a large family we need to at minimum increase from a 50gal tank to 75gal tank. Our first quote is $4200 for a 75gal Bradford unit requiring metal fireplace chute (not pvc). They’re saying it would be an extra $1500 to $2000 for a wall mounted gas unit. Last time we replaced our 50 gal tank the Rheem unit cost us $1600 installed - 7 years ago. With costs high and fast hot water being attractive, we think it might be worth going with the wall unit.

Thoughts ?

Recently moved into a home with storage space above the 2 car attached garage. I am wondering how much weight it can support. Looking to storage decorations, old clothes and some totes of photos. Photos totes can get pretty heavy.

I already have about all I’m going to store up there but now have some concern, no creaking, cracking or sagging can be seen

Trusses are 2x6 with roughly 14.5 spacing

https://imgur.com/a/WhFJlTa

The faucet is turned all the way in and there’s little bits of water coming out.

Hello. The grout in the middle of my 25ft tiled fireplace is cracking on both sides in the same location (about the 11th tile up). Could this be a structural or normal issue given the fact hard grout was used on the outer corners? The other side also have a tile that is out of place starting at the 11th tile. Thanks!

I’m building a media wall for an 80- to 100-inch TV.

The TV wall will be about 12 feet wide and 9 feet tall. We opened the wall to the studs to make repairs, such as removing some older projections. The studs are approximately 16 inches on center. My contractor says we don’t need additional blocking. I’d like to understand whether I should add anything while the wall is still open, especially to allow some flexibility if a future bracket’s mounting holes don’t line up with the studs.

What should I ask the contractor to verify before closing the drywall? Should I also run conduit from the attic for wiring or future-proofing? I would also like an option to have speaker wires be easily accessible if I want to put a soundbar below the TV.

I’m still finalizing the TV and mount, so I don’t yet have their exact weight or mounting specifications.

Any practical advice would be appreciated.

Cleaning the walls really made me wish I had a hood to pipe out all the cooking smells and what not.

We want to still have as much natural light from the windows as we can.

Moving the fridge to the middle of the kitchen makes everything feel tight and rebuilding the wall with the window moved over seems a bit drastic..but who knows!

My initial thought is a louvered style vent straight to outside. Maybe I could still add some kind of hood above the window? Perhaps a window vent kit of some kind?

Any tips and suggestions are appreciated!!

Don’t mind the mess

https://imgur.com/a/ZRtgSNA

I removed it to adjust the threshold because it was wobbly, and now my French doors are closing weird.

What do I do to patch a significant patch of peeling wallpaper over board and plaster? Not due to water damage just a very old house.

https://imgur.com/a/TQq8hxZ

this gap is about 4.5 inches across and i need something to plug it so my new puppy can get through. we live in a city and can’t take him out to the public till he gets his shots.

1. It needs to be removable so i can power wash and allow drainage
2. It needs to be non permanent because we live in an apartment building
3. Would prefer a clear solution to avoid blocking our view. We can get a fence to stick in front but would prefer something else.

https://imgur.com/a/hcW5Tyc

Has anyone worked with this? Saw it at a big box store 50% off and the idea of not mucking around with mortar sounds wonderful. Maybe too good to be true? It's for a utility room/closet; I had a bunch of porcelain left over from a bath and kitchen I was going to just throw together but it looked stupid instead of "artsy" so was looking for something that's not ugly as sin but cheap. Not much out there like that.