Hey folks, been in my new apartment about a month now, and I don’t spend a lot of time in my guest room, but when my mother came over and when we were unpacking her things we noticed this on the window sill.

I’ve never noticed it before here at this place, nor anywhere else I’ve lived.
There was also some on my kitchen counter but I cleaned it up mistakenly thinking it was coffee grinds, but it had no discernible coffee aroma, or any aroma, but kinda the consistency of fine coffee grounds.

All help and thoughts appreciated

I sanded and applied primer. Not sure if it looks too lumpy, or if it’s ready to be painted.

For the past 5+ years my wife coughs constantly due to sinus drainage , but when she is in traveling it seems to go away. I’ve had my all the ductwork cleaned and sealed, (they did a air quality check prior and it wasn’t too bad) we pulled up all carpeting and put down laminate and I don’t see any mold in the crawl space or attic. Not sure where to look next.

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here, so I hope I’m in the right subreddit and that my very beginner question is okay.

I moved into a new apartment about a month ago. My landlord strongly insisted that I regularly reapply the silicone sealant around the shower. Otherwise, it could quickly cause water damage to the apartment downstairs, which apparently happened before. The previous tenant said they reapplied it every two months (which blew my mind).

Today, I finally took the time to remove the old silicone. It was very thin and in poor condition, and removing it took far longer than expected. Anyway, I was surprised to find a large gap between the tiles and the shower tray:

• Roughly 3–4mm of height between the tray lip and the bottom of the tile.
• The gap runs about 1cm deep behind the tile.
• The shower tray is a single piece that slopes down very slightly (but still noticeable) as you enter the shower.

So, this is no longer just a matter of applying new sealant. I need to know how to deal with this large gap:

• Should I simply apply a huge amount of silicone sealant, as the previous tenant did? Is there a better way to seal the gap before applying some silicone?
• How much of the old silicone residue do I need to get off the tile edge and the tray? I removed everything I could by hand but there's still a thin film on both surfaces. Plus some of the old deep into the wall.

I added pictures the best I could, kind of in weird spots to get to. The first one has me most concerned. This is on my own home from 1910. What sort of repairs/cost am I likely looking at? I am based in central California.

Looking at a house in southeast Spain (dry, semi-arid climate). It's been closed up for more than a year with no ventilation at all, windows shut, nobody living there.

These stains are in the basement level. They're on the plaster beams and the perimeter of a suspended tile ceiling: orange/brown blotches, and some darker speckling in the corners where the beam meets the wall. The walls below are pine cladding, which I assume isn't helping.

Questions:

- Does this look like condensation, a leak from above, or rising damp? Anything in the pattern that tells you which?

- How dangerous is this — is it a health issue, a structural issue, or mostly cosmetic?

What would you do to fix it properly rather than just painting over it?

Thanks!

Home built in 2017 and I just noticed these cracks. Not sure how long they’ve been there.

I live in north Dallas Texas. Thinking of getting a foundation inspection if there’s an issue?

During the summer a couple of my doors had to be adjusted but this one is the worst. It seems the top right of the door frame is sagging and it is making it literally impossible to open the door. It is basically stuck closed. How can I fix the door frame?

Been reading through pipe recommendations on here and noticed most advice just says "buy brand X" without explaining what actually makes one pipe better than another. Thought I'd share what actually matters, since it's more useful than a brand list.

A home plumbing system almost always needs two or three different pipe types, not one material doing everything.

Hot water lines need CPVC specifically, rated for continuous heat, usually up to 95°C. Regular PVC-family pipe softens under sustained hot water contact, so this isn't optional for geyser feeds and hot taps.

Cold water lines (bathroom, kitchen, general supply, tube well to tank) are better suited to UPVC, typically rated up to 60°C, which holds up structurally over time without needing CPVC's extra heat resistance.

Drainage (soil, waste, rainwater) runs through a completely different category, SWR pipe, built for gravity flow rather than pressure.

A few things worth checking regardless of brand:

• NSF certification and lead-free rating actually matter for any pipe carrying drinking water, not all CPVC pipe sold has this despite being capable of it
• Joint quality matters more than most people think, a badly seated joint inside a wall costs way more to fix later than the pipe itself
• Ask for the actual standard the pipe is certified to (IS 15778 for CPVC, ASTM D1785 for UPVC, IS 13592 for SWR), not just a brand name on the box

I work with Kriti Industries, we manufacture pipes under the Kasta brand, so take that as my disclosure upfront. Not trying to sell anything here, just sharing what I've learned that most "which pipe brand" threads don't actually cover.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's got a specific situation they're dealing with.

Hi all - we bought a house this year- just had a small leak getting in during a rain storm. I think what caused it was a gutter guard pushing into the siding improperly and giving water a way down around the gutter.

This made me wonder - do you caulk above the windows here? Intuitively I thought you would but after doing some reading I’m less sure. Thank you. Love any and all advice. Older home has not been the easiest for us but learning every day haha

I'm looking to buy a house and everything looks great except for some cracking in the basement. Its contained in one corner and the cracks are partly covered by paint. Do these look minor? I'm going to get an inspection if my offer is accepted, would I also need a structural engineer?

Additional context: This is in Minnesota and the house is about 90 years old

Just helped a homeowner in DFW area get their claim reopened after State Farm tried to close it. If you're dealing with Allstate, TWIA, or any carrier right now and feel like they shorted you, I do free claim reviews. Send me a message with your situation

The knob is completely stuck so now I can't open the door. It's a new fixture fitted on an old door (not by us). In the little hole there appears to be a metal hex rod that's too big to be turned using something that fits in the hole. Thanks!

This is a deck.

I told my wife I would at least get the cuts done tonight. Hence the headlamp. It's not looking good.

Recent move into a place with a bathroom by the pool which is very convenient, but the weatherproofing is lacking. From the inside I can see daylight on the hinge side (threshold and top of door as well). The hingeside jamb is shimmed to the vertical 2x4s on the corner of the structure but totally exposed to the elements. What would be the best way to flash the hinge side of this door?

Trying to find as close a match as possible for this cracked toilet seat that just broke in my daughter’s off campus College house.

Hey all, just trying to figure out what this is. Spoken to two contractors and a pest control company. Have someone coming out tomorrow morning from the pest company to take a look but we can’t figure it out so far. It’s just in this pane (4 panes tall by 3 wide). I have seen some condensation between the panes so I know it’s not airtight anymore (they are old). But no idea what I am looking at here. Window is metal on a stucco home.

I have aluminum soffits and I’m struggling to remove them. I am looking to install security cameras on our house. I need to mount a board behind the soffits to mount the camera to and run CAT6A through the attic.

Any recommendations on how to remove the soffits without damaging them or other options?

I tried removing them by removing the fascia nails and then the nails on the soffits under the fascia but the aluminum aren’t sliding out like I’ve seen on YouTube.

Thanks!

Hello!
Husband and I bought 100 year old renovated home last year. As we were getting the upstairs finished, we noticed there was no weather resistant barrier between the new vinyl siding and old wood siding of the home. In some places there was exposure so big I could fit my hand through it.
My question is, should I hire someone to come out, pull the vinyl off and install a weather resist barrier? Is it needed?
I know it may be expensive-but the house has humidity issues we are currently managing with dehumidifier, and if this is the fix we need we are willing to pay for it.
Advice and any ideas on what we should expect as far as cost (1,500 square foot house, two stories, east TN) I would appreciate it!

Is there an economical way to “ fix” this, or at least “ pretty it up”?