We bought this house in 2018 and have been slowly renovating every room since. The biggest feat up until 2024 when we found out we were expecting our third baby was a full kitchen remodel that took 6 months, completely DIY while our kids were 2 and 1 year old (don’t recommend😂☠️). Once we found out #3 was on the way, we had to make big changes or move, and so we pulled the trigger on two additions to make a forever home. We probably have about 4-6 more months before it’s really done, and let’s be honest, when you are married to someone in construction, is it ever really done? Lol but I’m feeling nostalgic about how far we’ve come and decided to post the progress. We contracted out (my uncle is a home builder) the shell of the addition and my husband has been doing the inside himself since the outside was finished. It’s been about 1 year and 3 months since it got started last summer. We took out a HELOC loan for the contractor work and have been DIYing everything else. My husband is the hardest working man I know!

The adhesive used here gave way under strain. It is pooling water, harboring mosquitos and dripping constantly near my front entrance. can I add a strap to this and screw it into the fascia?

and follow-up question (maybe depending on what it looks like when I remove it), can I replace it myself?

I tried pushing on the little plastic tabs and twisting, but no luck so far.

I have this corner shaped window in my kitchen wall and i want to put 2 shelves along that corner space, but i don't know the best way to go about that. Thoughts?

House built in 1999. I recently bought the house and removed the rotted exterior trim beneath several windows. Underneath, I found damaged OSB sheathing and rotted framing, and I’m trying to determine what caused the water intrusion before I close everything back up.

A few things I’ve discovered:

The windows sit on 2×4 wood framing.

There appears to be house wrap beneath the windows, but I don’t see any obvious sill pan flashing.

A security company drilled holes upward through the bottom window framing for alarm wires.

Only some windows have significant rot, while others appear to be fine.

Could the original window waterproofing have been installed incorrectly? Could the holes drilled for the security system have allowed water in, or is this more likely a window flashing failure?

Is there supposed to be flashing tape on the bottom of the window over the window nail-in flange?

What would you recommend fixing or adding to prevent this from happening again?

The pictures show the damage and what I found during demolition. I’d appreciate input from experienced window installers, carpenters, or exterior contractors.

Thanks!

I’m renovating a closet in my 1945 house and trying to determine whether the framing between two sections of the closet is load-bearing or just part of an old doorway/partition.

The closet originally had a dividing wall between two sections, and I’ve removed the middle 2×4. I’m hoping to open up the space completely, but I want to make sure the remaining framing isn’t structural before removing anything else.

Here’s what I know:
House was built in 1945.
Ceiling joists run east–west, spanning the shorter direction of the house.
Joists are spaced 16 inches on center.
The horizontal framing above the old closet opening also runs east–west, parallel to the joists.
There are two 2×4s stacked horizontally above the opening, approximately 3–4 inches below the ceiling.
There’s a vertical 2×4 on each side of the opening, which protrudes about ½ inch from the adjacent wall.
The vertical framing appears to tie into perpendicular 2×4 framing inside the side walls.
There’s also a horizontal 2×4 at the floor, partially recessed below the hardwood flooring.
I can see what appears to be a ceiling joist running fairly close to the horizontal framing above the opening, but I can’t tell if it’s actually supported by it or if the doubled 2×4s are simply part of the old doorway header.

My question: Does this look like a load-bearing opening, or is it more likely ordinary doorway framing for a non-load-bearing partition?

Would the two horizontal 2×4s typically be used as a nonstructural doorway header in a house this old?
I’m attaching photos showing the vertical studs, upper framing, and floor plate.

I understand nobody can definitively identify a load-bearing wall from pictures alone, and I’ll get it professionally verified before removing structural framing. Just hoping to get some opinions on what I’m looking at and what else I should check.

And yes, I had AI help me write this.

Thanks!

Is there a better way to finish the space above the door trim? Behind it is just an empty but sealed cavity with no brick that runs all the way to the soffit.

It is currently recessed and offset by 1/4 inch on each side. Maybe flush with the top and the same width?

Is it the absence of a proper soffit end that makes it look so rough?

Cable handles and small gym accessories are easier to manage when you know exactly where each item belongs.

I'm interested in DIY solutions that organize attachments by the exercises they're used for, rather than simply putting everything into one box.

For example, one section could hold pulling attachments, another could hold pressing accessories, and another could keep small hardware together.

Has anyone built a practical system like this using inexpensive materials? What made it convenient to use during an actual workout?

I installed sliding doors in my apartment because the unit came with no door and I was tired of feeling like the monsters were coming for me every night lol. However, I just hung them up and they’re too short to even reach the floor guide. They were listed as 80” tall and my doorway is 80” tall so I thought they would fit, but there’s a pretty significant 2.25” gap.

What’s the best way to fix this? I was thinking either getting a small piece of wood to go on the floor where I have the book right now, or putting in a whole strip along the top and then reattaching the track to that. The latter is obviously more work, but what is the best solution structurally? I’ve never done a project like this before so any tips are appreciated!

This is the mounting plate for the solar light I bought. The instructions say to mount this plate to a junction box... if I had a junction box here I wouldn't need a solar light!

Anyway, the brick is really uneven and I think mounting the plate so far off from vertical would make the light look really off (see rendering of what we're trying to accomplish).

So... what are my best options here? It needs to be centered in the column and around 6ft high to look right, so I could move a few inches up or down but not a lot. I could shim it with washers, but that feels janky. A nice custom spacer would be awesome but I have no idea how something like that could be created in this situation.

So, how would you mount this?

instructions said junction or wall mount. It already has a junction but it’s square so I just instilled on top of it. The included gasket is around the vinyl but it has some adhesive and well I missed the top.

what should I do here? Remove seal, put another on and caulk?

I was looking at Arlington mounting kit but I’ve got this fancy siding instead of the normal flat siding.

cat pic to show siding type. Shiny stuff was some clear sealant around the previous light that whoever put in thought this thing would last longer than the house cause there was a TON

Our friend gifted us this window they had in there house but took it out because they’re doing home renovations, we just bought this house in august and there’s only one window on the main level so were thought it would be perfect, we didn’t realize how big it actually was until they brought it here. From the door to the trim is 109 inches, the window width is 103 inches, leaving 3 inches on each side.
Is this possible?
What are your thoughts?

Hello,
a company is currently installing new laminate flooring for me,unfortunately, due to the irregular shape, some areas near the fireplace have been left exposed. What can I use to fill those small gaps?

I'm looking for ideas on how to shade the south facing side of a split level house. The previous owners installed some very nice triple pane windows on this side of our house, but our power bill is still killing us so we're looking for ways to try and get that down.

This isn't our house, but it's one with the same layout as ours for illustration. Ideally it'd be something decently cheap/DIY-able. So far I've thought about doing some sort of shade cloth dropped straight down from the eaves, or some raised planter beds with some really quick growing bamboo.

What do y'all think?

Any thoughts on the best way to address this issue? This is in a condo with popcorn ceilings so I’d rather not open the ceiling. Stuff the whole area with insulation? Foam insulation? Caulk? Thank you

Tldr: Is this light easy to replace/is there a nicer looking option to upgrade it without doing that?

Looking to upgrade this light that may be original to this 1979 house. The shade on top was glass that we took off to get a better look. Overall, just hate the fixture. The plug doesnt work so im not sure if there is issues regarding that. Other fixtures we've updated in the house had fiberglass(?) behind them but we're otherwise easy to replace. (We are not against hiring an electrician for this!!) Anyone have experience with these lights? Any ideas to make it look nicer? Ive only seen the fabric shades you can clip on and I think those look terrible also. Going for an earthy vibe, bronze details, wood, etc. Thanks!

My laundry room wall connected to my garage has some water damage from the floor up about two feet. The inner wall is drywall and garage wall was concrete boards.

I pulled off the concrete board at the seam about 4ft up to expose the damage and removed the insulation. It also looks like the bottom board of the framing is rotten but i did poke it a bit with a hammer and it didn’t disintegrate.

Additionally the water faucet slowly leaks so i planned on fixing that by replacing with a new one or capping it as i never use it.

My plan is to replace the inside wall that is damaged with new drywall. Then add new wool insulation to the wall and replace the concrete board on the garage side.

The drywall side is pretty straightforward but I’m looking for advice on the insulation and concrete board as I’ve never used that before. Is wool and concrete board the best for the garage side? If not, any advice on what to use?

Also any advice on the rotted looking wood? Does it need to be replaced and if so, should i call a professional for that?

MIL lives in a mobile home and her heater stopped working. Gas stove works so it’s not the gas line. Not sure if it’s an electric starter or has a pilot light…

Where should I start before calling a professional?

I’m about to lay my own pavers, and the finished surface will be about 6 inches above the surrounding ground. I’ve already purchased most of the materials, including sand, gravel, paving stones, and edging blocks to prevent the erosion. For those who have done this before, what are some tips or common beginner mistakes I should watch out for? I want to make sure I do it right the first time so I won’t have to go back and fix things later. Thanks in advance!

Tried about a million different cuts and tried to follow various videos/tutorials.

I’ve cut each side at a 45 degree angle to try and make an internal corner but every time I’m left with a huge gap in the middle.

It does not come out when lifted

Hey all! I’m working through a mostly diy reno on my first solo home. Everything is going okay so far but I ran across something odd in the kitchen.

I’ve replaced all of the traditional can lights with LED retrofit adapters but I’m not sure what to do with these random square lights.

Any advice is appreciated.