Official Pit Home Improvement/DIY thread

[Deaconblue]

Yeah, looking harder at the fill spout would be a good thing to check first before going through the wall - good suggestion.
It's a two handle control (technically three, as we have a twist handle for diverting to shower). Lots of potential problem spots.

All three of those are potential leakers. Take them apart and check for leaks before you tear out walls.

It may be as simple as tightening a gland nut or replacing packing.

 

[spiffylubes]

Can anyone give me some advice on measuring for/hanging blinds? We were going to go with a shop that would do everything for us, but in covid times I don't want to, and I'd rather try to do something than wait who knows how long to be able to do that. I think my double hung windows are fairly straightforward, I have ~1" of mounting depth for inside mounts, which works for most cellular blinds but it doesn't look like I'll be able to do any kind of motorized/smart blinds unfortunately.

But I'm not sure what to do about casement windows. If I were using the same 1" portion of the window frame, the lock and the crank would be in the way of the shades. There is a maybe 5/8-3/4" surface between the lock and the small white security sensors you can kind of see in the picture (bottom right corner of left window) that I could use but I think it's the nailed in stop, not something I think I'd want to mount anything to.

 

[06deacon]

A fairly straightforward vanity removal went totally sideways today when I dropped a piece of backsplash and it happened to land directly on the water supply lines I had disconnected. They of course exploded. This is why it’s important to know where the home water shut off valve is so you can sprint to it in seconds. But that wasn’t quick enough to save some basement sheetrock. So this bathroom remodel project has ballooned from materials cost only to...more than that.

Related - cpvc is criminally brittle.

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

kitchen backsplash totally fucked

don't use cement tiles, friends

 

[dot com]

wait, what? what happened to it?

 

[Deaconblue]

Two cases that help the axiom that DIY projects cost twice as much and take three times as long as your original estimate.

These two represent the "oops!" side. The other is the infamous "now that I am doing this much, I could (or need or want) to do these other things in addition.

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

wait, what? what happened to it?

despite the fact that I did two coats of sealer/impregnator/grout release before grouting and tested it with water to see that it was indeed beading up, the porous cement soaked up the grout and the whole thing is irredeemable

I think I'm occupying both ends of blue's spectrum -- probably gonna hire someone to rip it all out as part of a larger kitchen remodel that includes opening up a wall and other projects

 

[06deacon]

My situation could have happened to a pro too, just a bad luck accident. Maybe will still be cheaper bc no way a general handyman would eat this cost had they done it.

 

[tigerswood]

Maybe not the right thread, but anyone have any experience with ZLine appliances? Their ranges and hoods look awesome and have overwhelmingly positive reviews. Their parts are sourced from Italy, Germany, and the US but shipped to and assembled in China, which gives me a little pause.

 

[warak]

despite the fact that I did two coats of sealer/impregnator/grout release before grouting and tested it with water to see that it was indeed beading up, the porous cement soaked up the grout and the whole thing is irredeemable

I think I'm occupying both ends of blue's spectrum -- probably gonna hire someone to rip it all out as part of a larger kitchen remodel that includes opening up a wall and other projects

i had a similar issue with my cement tiles. they stain so easily that is was very difficult to keep clean. i also did two or three coats of the sealer. the floor is OK now, but i had to spend a lot of time cleaning it and some of the stains (random marks and some grout issues).

cement is nice tile, but i wonder if the headache is worth the final product.

 

[JuiceCrewAllStar]

yeah, the tile is really beautiful, but I would advise against it for a floor or backsplash

what cleaner product did you use?

 

[BarcaDeac]

growing up we had a cement tile floor in the kitchen which looked really cool but def stained easily especially from dog vomit. you had to clean it up instantly to avoid, which of course, doesn't happen when you come home to it later in the day or whatever.

 

[Deaconblue]

The above several posts encapsulate the good and bad of cement tile. Lots of interesting possibilities with colors and textures. Really difficult to work with and clean.

 

[warak]

yeah, the tile is really beautiful, but I would advise against it for a floor or backsplash

what cleaner product did you use?

yeah, i really like my tile as well (now).

as for the cleaning product, i was not able to find one that worked to the level i would recommend. i ended up using mostly warm water because a lot of cleaners (with scrubbing) would almost bleach the tile. the base color was white but not the white that was occurring after cleaning. so, i started testing on a spare piece of tile but a lot of the stains would not come up. so i am not sure what is the best to use.

sorry

 

[ImTheCaptain]

Does anyone have any idea how to figure out a cost/benefit on replacing a furnace with a new one? I have a heat pump, which is 8 yrs old. When we moved in last year, i had the house hooked up to natural gas. The AC bills are not bad but the heating bills are bonkers in the winter.

 

[Deaconblue]

Does anyone have any idea how to figure out a cost/benefit on replacing a furnace with a new one? I have a heat pump, which is 8 yrs old. When we moved in last year, i had the house hooked up to natural gas. The AC bills are not bad but the heating bills are bonkers in the winter.

Its not simple. However, it starts with what do you have now? I'm guessing maybe a 10 SEER A/C and electric resistance heating aka "electric furnace."
Did you have a house inspection that gave you an estimated remaining life on the HVAC system?

Can you get the heating and cooling degree days for your location?

 

[WFU Lurker]

Does anyone have any idea how to figure out a cost/benefit on replacing a furnace with a new one? I have a heat pump, which is 8 yrs old. When we moved in last year, i had the house hooked up to natural gas. The AC bills are not bad but the heating bills are bonkers in the winter.

Maybe not that relevant, but we were recently told about ~$13k to replace our existing boiler. That's to heat a 1800 sq ft house via baseboards (already installed) and also provide hot water.

 

[tigerswood]

If you're near Raleigh, check out J and K cabinets. It's basically wholesale custom cabinets. Phenomenal product that is high value.

I can't keep track of you anymore, but this was an awesome suggestion. Reached out to J&K who were incredibly nice and put me in touch with a company locally to help out with design/installation/etc. Mainly copied the design from the custom guy, with a few pretty nice functional improvements. Right at half the cost of the lowest the custom guy would do.

 

[Donkey Deac Doug]

I can't keep track of you anymore, but this was an awesome suggestion. Reached out to J&K who were incredibly nice and put me in touch with a company locally to help out with design/installation/etc. Mainly copied the design from the custom guy, with a few pretty nice functional improvements. Right at half the cost of the lowest the custom guy would do.

You're welcome.

As to the bold, that's kinda the idea. <3 Always happy to help though!

 

[06deacon]

A fairly straightforward vanity removal went totally sideways today when I dropped a piece of backsplash and it happened to land directly on the water supply lines I had disconnected. They of course exploded. This is why it’s important to know where the home water shut off valve is so you can sprint to it in seconds. But that wasn’t quick enough to save some basement sheetrock. So this bathroom remodel project has ballooned from materials cost only to...more than that.

Related - cpvc is criminally brittle.

The water damage company set up fans and dehumidifiers on Monday and when coming by on Tuesday for their daily moisture readings they said things would be dry enough for them to come by on Wednesday afternoon to pack up all their gear. Wednesday and Thursday came and went with no contact, other than a text last night that I could unplug everything if I wanted since I was sick of the extra day of constant jet engine noise while working. Friday looks like it’ll come and go with no further contact. I think I can make a case for abandonment and start selling this shit to make back my insurance deductible right?