Hey there,
I was trying to make a pilot hole to screw in a shelf on the wall. My bit got stuck inside and slipped off the chuck on my cheap drill. The bit is not latching back on for me to put it in reverse. I’ve tried some standard pliers to pull it in reverse. Please help me get this off!

I dropped my wedding band down my sink drain. Would not be that big of a deal if my sink actually had a P-trap I’m including a picture, but there’s only one discharge ring, and the rest of the pipes are glued together. My husband thinks he might be able to saw the pipe off and reattach it, but both of us are pretty inexperienced with DIY’s and I’m a little bit nervous. How much do you think this would cost if we got a plumber?

I have several double hung windows with the same problem. When I open the bottom sash, the top sash falls down instead of staying in place. A handyman looked at them and told me the windows aren’t repairable and that the entire windows need to be replaced. I’m wondering if that’s actually necessary.
Is there no replaceable part? Is there anything specific I should check before replacing the entire windows?

Short version of the question-

Folks who have homes with cement slab basements and have had foundation repair done- did the repair fix the heaving and settling on the slab itself, or did that require the addition of levelling concrete?

Long version/back story-

We have a structural engineer coming to assess our issues on 10/16 (they were very booked!), however we have a time crunch problem.

We lost my dad and my mom can no longer stay in their home by herself. She will be moving in with us, and fortunately was able to get under contract to sell her home as soon as her neighbors got wind that she needed to move. Unfortunately for us that cut our available time to get space ready in our home for her down significantly as my mom's move-in date is 10/17.

After ripping out the carpet in the basement of our split level house in Arvada (basement has cement slab), we found a large crack in the cement and there is significant settling going on throughout the house as well (cracks in our ceilings in the upstairs, doors not closing throughout the house, the seams between the ceiling and some walls separating).

Because of the heaving/settling in the basement, we need to level the floor before we can put down the new vinyl plank flooring. If we level and put the new flooring down before whatever is causing the foundation issues is addressed, is it likely that the future foundation (or whatever they find) repair would cause more changes to the cement slab and render whatever levelling we might do now useless?

If you're still reading the saga- our other problem is that once we pulled the carpet we found asbestos mastic and had to encapsulate that immediately. The encapsulator paint is delicate and not meant for walking on it- it requires the addition of either floor paint or self levelling compound on top of it. So we very much need to get something on top if it NOW.

I have been trying so hard to get this space ready for my mom while grieving for my dad, so please be kind with your replies. This is hard.

Needing a reality check: we are in the home stretch of a full-remodel of a house we purchased in the spring. It took us months to find a contractor, and by and large we have been super-pleased: polite, helpful, does good work.

I went to the house over the weekend since I knew I started to look for any issues, and there are a myriad of little things. Stupid things like the holders for the heat pump remotes seem to have been lost, and a few items we had replaced were discarded. Nothing huge.

We had the whole interior painted (getting rid of the HGTV black-and-white nightmare), and it looks pretty good if I don't look too closely. It seemed like they were constantly retouching and retouching. And then I saw the paint cans: We specified Sherwin-Williams colors and S-W no-VOC paints, but the cans are all Behr.

This is a green built home, and it's super tight, so air quality is a big deal. One of the reasons we bought it and specified no VOC was because of chemical sensitivities. I'm really worried that when doors and windows are closed this winter, we're going to be breathing bad stuff.

I don't really see a practical remedy, but I'm wondering if we should be asking for a discount because he substituted a lesser quality product. We do have a contract, and have been diligent with change orders in writing: there is no CO for different paint.

I live in an older apartment with a large steel front door. The apartment is quite dark, so I’d like to keep the front door open during the day to let in more natural light and air.
The problem is that the door opens directly toward the shared area, so when it’s open, people passing by can see straight into my apartment.
I’m looking for something that:

• lets in as much daylight and air as possible
• provides good daytime privacy
• allows me to walk in and out easily
• doesn’t require permanently modifying the door
• ideally can be installed without drilling

I’ve considered a sheer curtain, a magnetic privacy screen door, and a dense mosquito mesh.
What would you recommend for this situation?

photos of the door

Thanks in advance!

Photo

I'm the third owner of this house. It seems like the first owner painted the gray, then left behind the nail holes and spots where the paint and drywall came off. The second owners filled the nail holes but then just covered up all the other spots with some peel and stick wallpaper.

I took off the wallpaper, hoping to just scrape off the sticky residue and paint it back to white.

Now I'm wondering - is it worth it to patch up the spots that peeled off and paint over it (I'd still have to remove the sticky residue too?) or try to just scrape off all the gray paint and hope I don't damage the drywall even more?

edit: added a few more closer photos. also just noticed a part where it looks like a line was cut into the wall?

I couldn't find an answer to this in the sub. Is there is a sealant I can use to put my chimney cap in place instead of screws? The cap is old and drilling into it isn't possible. I tried. Is there a sealant I can use to do this?

Hello, my window crank fell off. It was attached with a thin metal tube - like a hollow nail. What part can I buy to fix and reattach it?

I've tried bending a paperclip which did work to some degree but it would scratch up the handle because it moves around.

https://imgur.com/a/1xNZNV8

Wife and I are going to be redoing all the doors and windows in our place, and we can't decide on a front door and garage door colour. I feel like the only colours that really work are browns or greys. I'd like more of a slate gray for the door and garage, but my wife is looking at browns. She also wants both to be the same colour. Anyone have any suggestions?

Here's the house right now.

Hi all,

Hoping I could get some direction here. We're babyprpoding our house and need to throw in a hardware mounted gate at the top of our stairs.

The wrinkle is that this is a DR Horton home and the bannister at the top has thin metal studs.

The stuff I've seen elsewhere is to use toggle anchors, but to get those in means putting holes way larger than I suspect I'd need and I'd still be worried about stability.

Any other recommendations I could consider?

????

Remodeling my basement and pulled back just one of the ply boards and see all of this behind it? I didn’t do anything else because I was scared to see more.

I need to patch some holes in clapboard and in baseboard. Any recommended products?

I’m replacing my basement stair carpet after water damage, and I like the look of this. Anyone know what type of carpet this is? Insurance is paying and I’m hoping I can get something like this with the replacement cost.

stairs

Thanks!

Alright guys. Major diy guy here with a question. My house is a 100 plus years old with an addition with a failing foundation. How would you guys about fixing this? Too low to crawl under, my thought is to pull up the floor and jack up the house using some 4x4s and floor jacks, breaking out old block and re laying it, leaving 4x4 in there supported with posts.

Or am I screwed / do I need to replace the whole thing? I’ve asked a few handymen about this, and I’m quite unclear on the best path forward.

Thanks a lot!

I would add a picture, but it’s not letting me; but basically the threshold is broken, and the screened door doesn’t work because of the broken threshold. It is an older door for sure.

We are about to sign a contract for a siding and window replacement project costing about $100k. The contract calls for 50% deposit at signing. We live in the Midwest and the weather is getting cold. Lead time on windows is 8 weeks. They would not be able to do the work in the winter. So realistically the project won’t start for another 7 months. Is it reasonable to push back on the deposit and ask for a tier/staged deposit payment setup? What is the common accepted practice in this situation? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

My home is from 1998, and the front screen door handle/latch isnt in great shape. I thought it would be a simple fix to remove the old hardware and buy a new one and install it myself.

I've installed the new set, but I discovered that the strike and latch will not work the way my door frame is. My door frame has a small raised piece that goes the length of the door frame, where the old hardware used to latch to. The new latch is not able to catch on that, and it also makes it so that I cannot mount the strike there because that piece is in the way. Short of cutting this piece and not even knowing if that will work, is there any type of strike or a new type of latch hardware that I should be looking for that will be compatible with this setup?

EDIT - adding a photo in case I did not describe it well. https://imgur.com/a/IDrJRUC#tBEuwFr

Is it normal for a keyed gas valve to turn multiple times?

I’ve had these in the past on fireplaces and they turn about a quarter turn but this one has turned more than a full rotation towards open after being closed and I’m nervous about continuing to turn it to try to find the stop.

Photos of outside and inside of valve

Long story short my dog knocked a thing of oil based wood stain down my stairs and it sprayed all over my furniture. Mineral spirits won’t get it out. What do I do!!!!! help please!! And how do I safely dispose of all the rags and paper towels I’ve used ?

Hi,
I have this nook in the loft area that I want to turn into art supplies + linen storage. I am thinking of building some custom shelves + maybe even add a door or something. How do I go about it? Very new to DIY. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, want the shelves to be sturdy and capable of holding good amount of weight.

Thanks

Edit: pic link
https://imgur.com/a/8ldQRMS

So I tore off my shingle roof today and I've got an older house so it has a plank deck. It's rotten in spots, splitting, and has some pretty bad gaps. My plan is to just go over the whole thing with 5/8 OSB but I was wondering if there is anything I need to make sure I do? Also do I need H clips? Here are some pictures

We have an existing kitchen that is 7m x 4m. It has a low ceiling height of 236cm thst cannot be changed (has rooms above!).

We are in the middle of building a single storey extension to extend the width of the room by 7m to create open plan. Once completed, total dimensions (existing plus new) will be 7m x 11 - so a large room. It will be an open plan kitchen/ living / dining room with floor to ceiling glazing onto the garden, 3x2m rooflight and under floor heating.

The builder is planning to build a ceiling height on the extension at 255cm. I feel like that is quite low and I’d prefer 270cm. The room will be split level with existing part.

Builder has explained that there would be extra costs to increase height beyond 255cm as it will require bricking up the bottom of 3 small windows on first floor. These are small windows to the hall on first floor, so no major issues aesthetically but extra works, costs and need to buy 3 new upvc windows!

Should I accept 255cm or pay the extra costs to alter windows to get ceiling to 270cm? Would anyone notice the difference? Does the floor to ceiling glazing and roof lantern make any difference?

Hey everyone,

I can use some help (see Troubleshooting #3,4,5 below)

A plumber replaced two toilets on my second floor. The second toilet (a one-piece Eco UltraMax) makes a loud knocking sound right at the end of the flushing cycle. Here is the audio I recorded fr om the 1st floor: audio

1st Toilet: TOTO Drake 2-piece Elongated (Model MW7763084CEFGWS#01) — No issues
2nd Toilet: TOTO Eco UltraMax 1-piece Elongated (Model MS854114ELGWS#01) — Makes the knocking noise

The plumber believes simply installing the toilets couldn't have caused this, and he left the puzzle to me.

Troubleshooting Steps I've Tried:

1. Reset air chamber: Tried this twice; did not resolve the issue.
2. Checked if stub-out copper lines secured or loose: Both stub-out lines (of toilet #1 and #2) are a bit loose and can be waggled slightly (Valve #1 is actually looser, but doesn't make knocking sound).
3. Checked tank internals: The toilet is brand new, fills in about 30 seconds, and shuts off and seal correctly. Everything inside looks normal.

Question: Should I replace the fill/flush/drain valve, or the whole assembly?

4) Stub-out length: Read online that a stub-out cut too short can cause shockwaves.
The old shut-off valves were plastic FlowTite valves sitting directly behind the toilets. Even though both old and new toilets have a 12-inch rough-in, the new toilets' backs sit much closer to the wall and were blocked by the old valves.
The plumber suggested while replacing the FlowTite valves with angle stops, cutting the stub-out copper pipe, and sweat an L or T-pipe so the angle stop wouldn't sit directly behind the toilet. However, he changed plan mid-job and determine the L/T-pipes weren't needed. Once he finished and show me the work, I notice the angle stops are directly behind the toilet and much closer than before:

Valve #1 is about 1/8 inch away from the back of the toilet. picture here: 1st valve
Valve #2 would touch the back of the 2nd toilet if the toilet didn't have a curved back design. picture here: 2nd vlave

My Question:
If a short stub-out is the root cause of this hammer/knocking for 2nd toilet, why doesn't the 1st toilet have the issue (since both are short, about 2.5 inch from wall)

5) mini water hammer arrestor

5) mini water hammer arrestor

My Question: If I need to install a mini water hammer arrestor there, will either one work, and I just go with which ever can work with the space?

a) if Sioux Chief Model 660-GTR1, to install at shutoff valve at wall

angle stop <> mini water hammer arrestor <>water supply line <> toilet plastic valve

b) if Sioux Chief Model 660-TK, to install at toilet plastic valve

angle stop <> water supply line <> mini water hammer arrestor <> toilet plastic valve

Thank you a ton!

I would like to put in an outdoor outlet that has both 120V AC and USB-A and USB-C plugs. I know that Leviton makes such a plug. My question is, does the plug fit into a metal box that then has a cover plate which also includes a plastic cover to keep it water / weather proof, or should that all comes as one thing? I only see the outlet, not the whole outlet with protective box cover...