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Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

did you just hit up a general contractor for that (specifically the drywall)? we're thinking our basement needs work in a similar vein but we're not sure where to start.
 
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I'll definitely reuse the collar if I can. I was able to last time, so I'm hopeful this time. And that's a good call on checking the ports. They were identical the last time I changed it, but I suppose it is possible that Badger has changed something. If they did change the ports then I guess I can take this opportunity to get the larger size since I'll have to move the pipes anyway. If the electric is different (plug rather than hardwired), then I'm just going to hire someone to come in and install.

If that is the only issue, putting in an outlet using the existing wire shouldn't be hard. Just one more Cirque du Soleil contortionist act to attach the box somewhere in the sink base cabinet and wire a duplex outlet into it. Use the switched wire so that the wall switch will continue to control the disposal.


ETA:

If you have PVC drain lines it shouldn't be that difficult to reroute them to fit a bigger disposal, particularly with slip joint drain pieces.
 
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Have to show off just a little! We just had Phantom Screen motorized vinyl covers installed on our screened-in porch to try to 1) make it more useful during colder weather and 2) help keep it cleaner if possible.

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yilIiJn4XvDPxd2svxPMIvtGlxCeNdhNIssmXHJmpGuFHXsIm_kNiJu5Z2bc2PbcLVCoRGlAJYPfmFz7GjQ2sSM8Ucv4HjT1V-2i4O9ncS4sQZnu4LKN5BkHJQlLCf87HurF35Vv1cSWu95qzeuUr7spH2JeC0qmMlcY4tgWsjdh03N8AxKLLTJSn5nugyKsYfC6XayK59o-ETHryD9utH4xDeIFckWkelowzOehcEc00oR5Or8SO998ArvLRicJunHupln6v0_SWOO9UWwaER7-_EZLwx8OZWa88rZh6UILvhCSBpdDmThGjwz3GHKIk2PcCF87dvFB9TQIYWbole1xpwCYL1zmpETazVVXE8VPXIPq0Q8JC5AIpPekhZcnNaRZK7C4p3HKysR1XVuoOkj71oWR5u5AeiXQZD4QedBuYrkJFBocfc9HbtkGm434_sRANOP_qocd66XzNM9tzQO2cwKwVmOWOGHzBahnboJf5aKcg1qFVSEugMQKBH2gd4rSJk1t45LZa4GSMCpmD8CrHF9KQmAx7CpTYDurboXfNt5IYIGTqapLWIVqRlLuW5aYC5oEVFfwdmOXG6stx2Oq4UluzshWyV_amC9R1rg6go6Fwj7sDnE8FQ53TjAVOA77fmbB6Z1CaKNQ0t4wnfZPwK8iOL_4vnD3XPNHdZthbsJ1lZJ3KWR7PQ=w1250-h937-no


I really wish I'd known to do this when we built the house. They can integrate the covers/screens into the posts and the ceiling so you can't see anything except splits in the vertical posts. Looks awesome, but alas.

On a different note, regarding nail pops in drywall. I don't have any/many that are truly popped, just a really shallow bump in the drywall. Is it possible to tap those back in with say, a rubber mallet or something to get them flush with the drywall again? I have a LOT which don't necessarily bother me enough to do a proper repair, but if I can just bump them back in that'd be fine.
 
^^^ Very nice.

Drywall nail pops are are right up there in the minor annoyances that should not exist. The root cause is the wall studs have continued to dry and have shrunk away from the nail holes. Tapping them back flush will make them look better for a while. How long "a while" is, who knows.

Some caveats: use a white mallet, not a black one; be prepared for the joint compound (drywall mud) and paint to crack and possibly fall out when you hit it. That stuff is very brittle after it dries. I would do some tests in areas not so visible. Behind pictures, behind furniture and see how your house walls react.

ETA:

Sometimes a hammer with a small block of wood works better.
 
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We've toyed with the idea of selling because the Denver market is bonkers and we'd stand to do fairly well on selling the home, but then you gotta find a house. Getting an offer accepted when it's contingent on selling a house is tough right now because inventory is so tight - people are buying with cash, offering over, waiving inspection fixes, etc., so we're leaning towards making some improvements in our current place since we wouldn't be able to afford buying back into our neighborhood if we were to sell. Despite a few drawbacks with the home, it actually checks a ton of boxes for us.

We're meeting with a designer to talk about some ideas next week.

In the meantime I've got a few big ticket items to knock out:

-Update electrical and install new ductless mini-split in my garage bonus room (previous post)
-I've got a sewer main repair as well (fuuuu!)
-New hardwood floors (original, 1914 floors that are past end of life), though we might wait until we talk to the designer and do this with that individual.

All of this stuff I would expect to do if we sold, except for maybe the floors. Hoping the designer can help us with some paint, fixture, and furnishing updates and maybe light construction (built ins).

We moved into this house not wanting to do a lot because the kids were 6 months and 2 yo at the time, but now we're ready to make it more intentionally ours.
 
did you just hit up a general contractor for that (specifically the drywall)? we're thinking our basement needs work in a similar vein but we're not sure where to start.

A good handy man should be able to hang dry wall and would be less expensive than a GC, though with a basement remodel you might need plumbing/electrical permits in which case it might be easier (albeit more expensive) to have a GC that will manage all of that.

Either way, strongly recommend finding a good handyman or two that can do stuff like that. I finally found a guy that can do light construction, but the only problem is he works construction during the day so his availability is in the afternoons/evenings. He's pretty cheap and does good work though, so it's an ok trade off for me right now.
 
A good handy man should be able to hang dry wall and would be less expensive than a GC, though with a basement remodel you might need plumbing/electrical permits in which case it might be easier (albeit more expensive) to have a GC that will manage all of that.

Either way, strongly recommend finding a good handyman or two that can do stuff like that. I finally found a guy that can do light construction, but the only problem is he works construction during the day so his availability is in the afternoons/evenings. He's pretty cheap and does good work though, so it's an ok trade off for me right now.

Regarding drywall, the best drywall finishers art part artist. They can use the joint compound and knife to make joints and bumps and holes disappear. Little or no sanding required.

Second this on the permits for electrical and plumbing. Depending on the locality, plumbing and electrical modifications made without permits can be a problem.

The immediate issues: are the modifications safe are they installed in accordance with life safety codes, and do they work as they should. Inspections that go with the permitting process are supposed to insure that this happens. Local inspector diligence impacts this greatly.

Sometimes contractors who don't want to get permits do so because they do substandard work. E.g. they use smaller (and cheaper) wire than code requires. That is a potential fire hazard.

Another aspect is the presence of non-permitted modifications when selling the house. Some places a real estate sale inspection finds such modifications and the sale is off, or the modifications need to be redone. Other places its just a note at settlement, or maybe a small fee to the local government. Local rules apply.
 
A good handy man should be able to hang dry wall and would be less expensive than a GC, though with a basement remodel you might need plumbing/electrical permits in which case it might be easier (albeit more expensive) to have a GC that will manage all of that.

Either way, strongly recommend finding a good handyman or two that can do stuff like that. I finally found a guy that can do light construction, but the only problem is he works construction during the day so his availability is in the afternoons/evenings. He's pretty cheap and does good work though, so it's an ok trade off for me right now.

Word thanks!

We're thinking we're going to demo ourselves (the room is an old garage so there's no plumbing or supporting walls) and contract if we need to rather than pay a GC to manage the whole thing.
 
My understanding is you can pull permits yourself. Is this not true?
 
did you just hit up a general contractor for that (specifically the drywall)? we're thinking our basement needs work in a similar vein but we're not sure where to start.

We already had a drywall guy from previous work we've done on our house (we moved a wall/put up more walls and installed a window to create a 4th bedroom). I think we found him by asking on NextDoor if anyone had someone they'd recommend.

I did all the other work for this (framing for window, window install and trim work, circuit drawings for electrical). I suppose a GC would be the best way to approach it if you cannot do any of it yourself... especially if electrical is in your cards. Most code allows homeowners to do their own stuff, but I'm pretty sure with adding a new circuit if you sub it out it has to be inspected.

With our work to add another bedroom, we had to get it all inspected (because we wanted official permit on record that 4th bedroom is to code). We went and were able to file for the permits ourselves, but I had to provide the necessary plan work (CAD/scale drawing showing changes to home; topographical map of our lot and that all changes would not affect permeable soil, etc.) ...I did all the drawings for that using a light board and tracing the original plans for the house, then went to Kinkos and used their copier to blow them up to the correct scale size. Having new drawings done just for the permit would have been a couple thousand bucks. SO yeah, you can apply for permits yourself... but it can be a huge pain in the ass depending on where you are and what's required. A GC can help you navigate that if you're making actual changes to your house. Again, we were most concerned with having the 4th bedroom permitted to code so now we can list it as a bedroom in re-selling. Otherwise we could have just done it all, unpermitted, and I guess called it an 'office.' Kind of like people finishing out their basement room, clearly staging the room as a guest bedroom, but listing it as a 'basement room, non-conforming' because it probably doesn't have the right window/egress to technically be called another bedroom. We want the $$ of listing a 4bed/2bath house.

All that said, if you just want drywall and maybe a window installed, a handyperson can do that.
 
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My understanding is you can pull permits yourself. Is this not true?

"pull permits" - usually just refers to seeing if there is a permit on file for work already done. "looks like they re-wired this when they did the kitchen remodel... I wonder if there is a permit for this." (checks with municipality to see if it's permitted) - You can definitely do this yourself.

Actually applying for a new permit and going through the inspection process... you can still do that yourself, but see my post above. There's more to it, depending on the type of permit you're needing to get for the work you're doing.
 
^^^ Both those two posts above are excellent advice for anybody thinking about house renovations.
 
Any thoughts on replacing a water heater myself?
Current one is very old and can't seem to do the job anymore. We would need gas. But the lines and vent are already in place. I have the tools. I assume I just need to drain the current one. Get it out of the attic (no idea why they did it like that). And replace with a new one. Seems very doable at a fraction of the cost. Am I being foolish?
 
Not sure.

But I hate that they put the damn things in the attic.

My parents had two installed at original construction in their attic. Of course over the years they had several instances of the things leaking and causing lots of damage. Dumbest placement. Eventually they installed a tankless system.
 
Any thoughts on replacing a water heater myself?
Current one is very old and can't seem to do the job anymore. We would need gas. But the lines and vent are already in place. I have the tools. I assume I just need to drain the current one. Get it out of the attic (no idea why they did it like that). And replace with a new one. Seems very doable at a fraction of the cost. Am I being foolish?

After you get past the effort of physically moving two water heaters (one out of, the other into) your attic space, consider gas safety.

Do you know and can you install current code required connecting lines for the gas supply? Do you feel comfortable that the gas line connection you make won't leak?

Many places require expansion tanks on new installations where they didn't used to.

Don't forget to drain your existing water heater. And be prepared for it to not drain completely. Valves can corrode so they won't open. Full water heaters are much heavier than full ones.

Good luck!
 
The garbage disposal replacement went much better than last time. Only had one hiccup but that was defs user error. To get it connected to the collar I did exactly what the directions say not to do, but that’s the only way it was happening (me on my back holding the disposal over my face under the collar). The best part is that I was able to upgrade to a bigger size since the ports were all in the same place.
 
The garbage disposal replacement went much better than last time. Only had one hiccup but that was defs user error. To get it connected to the collar I did exactly what the directions say not to do, but that’s the only way it was happening (me on my back holding the disposal over my face under the collar). The best part is that I was able to upgrade to a bigger size since the ports were all in the same place.

Congrats!
 
After you get past the effort of physically moving two water heaters (one out of, the other into) your attic space, consider gas safety.

Do you know and can you install current code required connecting lines for the gas supply? Do you feel comfortable that the gas line connection you make won't leak?

Many places require expansion tanks on new installations where they didn't used to.

Don't forget to drain your existing water heater. And be prepared for it to not drain completely. Valves can corrode so they won't open. Full water heaters are much heavier than full ones.

Good luck!

Ok fine. You're right. I just hate watching people do something that I think I could likely do. But you're right on this one
 
Ok fine. You're right. I just hate watching people do something that I think I could likely do. But you're right on this one

Yeah, the stuff you need to do to change out a water heater is not that difficult. With gas appliances you always need to think about safety. An incorrectly installed gas water heater can blow up your house. Most of these other DIY things on here don't have that potential consequence.
 
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