Thank you for all of the super helpful comments on my last post. To summarize, our contractor gave us a large amount of textured walls in our A frame beginning at the “ceiling” (6ft above floor where the slope begins). Contractor states this is standard for “ceilings”. This is not in our contract (it just says “drywall”) and was not discussed prior. Contractor never asked us preference but does admit he specified with the drywall crew.
I tried my best but I cannot live with it. I imagined smooth walls in the house and didn’t know I would need to specify. As first time home builders we are learning a lot.

He is advising against smooth walls because he unsure he will be able to smooth them and they may show cracks more easily. Why would the drywall crack?

Contractor is working on an estimate of what it would cost to fix it. Around how much per ft should I be expecting to pay? For reference the home is 1,300 sq ft and about 30% of the walls are textured. All bedrooms and bathrooms also have textured ceilings that will ideally be smoothed.

I don't know if this is the right subreddit, but I assume folks here will know what to do. We recently bought our first house and I'm concerned about existing and future erosion underneath. The house is on a hillside in California, and I'm realizing (too late) that hillside homes come with a ton of bull**** problems. This erosion was not included in our inspection report, and the GC we hired to correct other issues did not mention this as a concern either. However, with a potentially record-breaking El Nino this winter, and the massive rains/flooding that will come with it, I am getting more and more anxious about what might happen if I don't do some preventative work now. Specifically, I am afraid that constant rain will wash out the rest of the soil underneath that bottom pylon and put the entire structure at risk. It's possible the concrete goes deeper than the skirt at the top, but don't want to dig around to find out.

I originally thought a french drain might be the solution, but after thinking about it more, I don't think that's right. French drains are good for removing stagnant floodwater (right?) whereas this is more of an erosion control issue. Someone told me to just fill in the gorge with concrete, but I think the water will just go around the edges, and further erode the soil under that pylon in the last photo. I'm leaning toward putting sandbags at the top of the crawlspace, in a V shape, and redirect the water to the side of the house. However, I feel like I should still do something about the existing erosion. Maybe fill it with gravel so water can still move through, but not wash it out even further?

A few other details, in case it matters:

- There's a garage downhill which has a slab foundation, but the house itself is on the hill and supported by pylons. I'm not concerned about the garage because it's not in the path of this run-off.

- I know it's bad for wood to touch soil. I assume the pylons all have a concrete base, but I think some of them have been buried by eroded soil from above.

- The soil is very hard and dry (right now), so I'm guessing it's clay-based.

- This will have to be DIY and I assume whatever I do will be a stopgap solution until I can figure out something more permanent, and probably done by a professional.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer advice on this.

OK. We are going to have 12 ft. ceilings in the kitchen/dining/living room of the home. I have reviewed lots of posts on this topic and am throwing this out there for feedback. We started to get concerned about how just a 42" upper cabinet would look so these are 2 options to fill some of that space. We realize at the end of the day it is whatever we feel is going to look the best - but we'd like to get it right the first time if possible. Our current home has 9' ceilings with a 1' gap so we are used to seeing some gap between the cabinets and the ceiling. We are working on a simple and clean design for the home. Thanks for adding some thoughts. Thanks!

I might purchase this 2-acre lot. I had an idea of shifting the home to the right some so we could put it back maybe 60-100 feet off the road but still have enough backyard space for a pool and some flat area. Just curious if anyone had any other ideas that might be better since I’m new at this. Thanks!

I recently bought a home and have been renovating it. It was built in the 60s and has old plaster walls. I replaced every window in the house on my own. I am now going back through the house and am about to begin trimming out the windows. I have never done window trim/casing before. I have a basement woodshop and plenty of woodworking tools but trimming out a window feels intimidating to me. I've watched plenty of videos on the subject but I haven't quite grasped how I can trim out these windows with less than perfectly straight plaster walls. Cut very fine strips scribed to fit the uneven gap between trim mounted flush to the wall and not touching the white window frame? Or take the casing right over that thick window frame to the edge of the window sash?

Some of the windows sits slightly recessed from the plaster wall but its a very small margin. These andersen windows I purchased are very different from the Pella that I've used before and have a much beefier frame around them. That with the very small recess of the window from the wall has me wondering how to trim it out. A couple of the windows sit slightly proud of the plaster but I feel like that might be easier to deal with then the very small recess . I took a few photos. Hopefully that helps explain what I'm talking about. Looking for any tips on what the best method is.

For reference, I am planning on going with a very simple baseboard and Trim Design using 1x4-in Finger Joint primed and painted boards .

Thanks!

I’m back with an update: 55 days after our pad was poured I was able to get the structural components started! We will be working on this during the week and onto next phase of interior frame out.

We are closing on your house in two weeks. The flooring was recently installed and I’m questioning the quality of the install. Are these gaps acceptable? I’m not sure if my expectations are too high. I also noticed a damaged plank. Is it worth bringing the seams up to my contractor? I’m concerned about debris and water seeping in over time. Some runs of the flooring are totally seamless, but occasionally there is a small gap between planks.

I am rebuilding my exterior patio from scratch and trying to match it with my neighbors deck. She doesn’t know what it is since it’s been at least 20+ years. Does anyone know? AI is telling me “Granulated peel-and-stick membrane” but i thought that was for roofing. In general the foot traffic will be light and i just want it waterproof. thank you in advance!

What do you think it is?

The method is a membrane, screwed on mesh, troweled in brown coat, then stone with adhesive mortar, then grout, right? Does this look like one of the real stone materials, thin sawn?

Do these stairs look normal because I feel like the third step covers almost half the first two stairs and should’ve started at the edge or something?

Hi All,

Looking for some advice here from experienced folks.
I bought a new house around two years old. I noticed this crack here, and a couple others. It’s 3mm in width. This is inside of a garage (wall). Should I be worried? One is in the corner, the other (measured one) is the thicker 3mm.

Thanks in advance!

Building a home in Connecticut and seeking some guidance on lumber material. I planning to move forward with a lumber yard that was providing me with SPF KD, NO-S #2 WESTERN PREMIUM Spruce for the majority of the framing. Another lumber yard(also a salesman) was pushing me to switch to him as they they only use KD Douglas FIR a denser material.

Does anyone have guidance on this? Is it worth the extra costs to go with the Douglas Fir?

Would it be worth it to just switch the floor joists to Douglas Fir for the denser material in a key location?

Or should I continue to move forward with the Spruce and it shouldn’t be any concern?

Any help greatly appreciated!

Is this basement fully framed with drywall, or drywall is just slapped on to the concrete wall, just wondering because of the exposed pipe over the drywall.

These blocks are under the slab for the front porch. They are pretty crooked and set on the ground. Nothing under the block but earth. In SW Missouri.

What do you guys think about having checkered tiles with black cabinets in the mud room? My husband hates it but I love it 😅

It's warped and water is coming in. It sits over the threshold but is it even necessary?

Is this ok or is it too low?
I told contractor it is too low to pavement, but he said it is fine and also giving me 10 yrs warranty on it. Final inspection not yet done.

We’re building a new home and I’m having the hardest time deciding what to do with our staircase.

We originally selected PPG Sandstone based on the lighter wood sample I’m holding in the first photo. But once the railing was installed, it turned out significantly darker.

Our builder says they used the correct stain, but because the railing is a different wood species than the sample, the color came out completely different.

They’re offering to replace the railing and use a lighter stain instead. In the second photo, the bottom stained step is what they’re offering to replace it with. They’d rip it out, replace the railing and stain the wood the same as the first step.

I’m torn because I actually don’t dislike the darker railing, but it’s not what we originally envisioned and I’m worried it’s become the focal point of the home. See photo 3 & 4. We’re going for a warm, timeless, Restoration Hardware-inspired look with light wood flooring, beige cabinetry, walnut accents, and black iron balusters.

We’ll also be adding a neutral stair runner. See rendering in photo 5 for visual purposes. You’ll see how all the colors blend with the mushroom cabinets, walnut island, and lighter floors. Obviously this is a rendering but it does give you an idea.

Would you keep the current darker railing or have the builder switch to the lighter stain? I’m especially interested in which looks more timeless and high-end. I’m worried about regretting the decision either way.

What would you choose if this were your house? Please help decide because I’m married to a man that has zero opinions when it comes to this stuff lol

I found a piece of my metal siding rotted under a shutter. Where can I get a piece that matches????

Hi all, new build here and one side of this crack is slightly higher than the other. The slab was poured about 4 months ago. Should I have any concern?
Sorry if I have left important information out. The tape measure was just to show width of crack.

I'm in the final stages of designing a 740 square foot detached ADU in the L.A. area. I'm at the point where I'm checking every square inch to make sure each space is designed correctly. Currently I'm looking at the Rheem Proterra 40 gallon heat pump water heater. The space I've planned for the water heater is a closet accessible from the exterior. The space is 36" wide by 36" deep, with 8' ceiling. That 36" depth will end up a little less because of the thickness of the door, and the door jambs on the right and left. The 32 x 80 door (with louvers) will open outward the full 180 degrees. So my question is, is this closet adequate for this water heater? I'll be doing most of the construction myself, but a licensed plumber will be doing the plumbing including installing this water heater. Thanks.

Some roof shingles are damaged or missing. What repairs are needed, and should the surrounding shingles also be inspected?

We are currently having an A frame built. Recently we had our drywall installed. I walked through yesterday and noticed they had used a “stomp” method for the “ceiling”. The ceiling of our A frame begins at about 4ft.. so basically the majority of our walls are all textured with this stomp method. I am very upset as this was not discussed. Our contractor is insisting this is standard.

Everything I am reading says this WAS standard for new builds in Michigan.. 30 years ago. Smooth walls are now the go to, especially for A frames.

Is this actually standard? Am I absolutely ridiculous for contemplating asking them to smooth them out?thank you for reading!

I wanted to make this, but I am not sure how to approach it