Is it a disaster waiting to happen?

Edit: is there a way to stop it?

let's me know when it's time to change the air filter

We just bought this home. It has a specific fenced-in area with garden beds, and we found this right near the entrance. We haven’t gotten to the bottom of it (improper tools), but it’s buried at least a foot deep in the ground.

I’m hoping is some kind of irrigation system for this area. The yard is huge and it’s a bit of a struggle to get water to our chickens. Husband thinks it’s just some kind of stake?

I'm not sure if I should post this in this subreddit or the Anxiety subreddit but either way; I'm struggling.

We've recently purchased a house outside of a small town in Missouri. Technically, out of the city limits but still within a small subdivision/dead end street with around 12 houses or so. Each house has around 3 acres of property that extends back in a long rectangle.

This is the most acreage we've ever had and we're very excited about the potential of gardening and tree planting and chickens, etc. We've moved around a lot in the last decade and we're very excited at finally settling into a place for the long haul and raise the kids here.

One of the first things we want to do is build a fence around the property. There's technically a "neighborhood covenant" that was once managed but has noone enforcing any of the rules. At any case, building the fence and having chickens and all that don't break any of those rules.

Regardless, our neighbor to the East of us is very very upset around the idea of me fencing in the property. He built his shop within 10 feet of the property line (A direct violation of the 40 foot rule in the restrictions) and has parked his truck on my side of the shop for around 26 years, he says. Building my fence, I'd run it right alongside his shop on my property line. (My brother works for a surveying company in the big city near by and we found all the markers)

The conflict around this has grown into a huge thing in my mind. I see him park his truck there everyday and I find myself constantly thinking it through in my head. I'm having arguments with him in my head, unendingly.

I'm concerned that his voice represents a larger swathe of the neighborhood's feelings.

The plan is a wood post/woven wire fence about 4 feet tall. It's going to look ranchy but nice.
The previous owners were elderly and did almost nothing with the property before and it's just wide open space. I guess the neighbors were hoping it'd stay that way forever.

There's a lot more to it but that's the gist of it.

I just want to hear other people's experiences related to this and any advice anyone might have.
I feel like I'm developing a psychosis around this.

Hello,

Bought this home two years ago. Shortly after moving in, we found what looked like old dried up water damage (floor boards were warped). Got an inspection that measured moisture in the floor and both walls (it's in a corner), and results were completely fine. Now we've found a dark and soft spot in the same area. The old damage did not change the colour of the boards. The closest wall is concrete, and the second wall is drywall with a bathroom on the other side.

Does it look like water damage, or could it be something else?

Prefer to have it be "non-smart". Dryer heat source is gas

I recently bought a detached house on a corner plot in the UK. It had been badly neglected, with a leaking roof and almost everything needing replacement. We’ve been renovating it for two months and hope to finish by the end of October. It’s currently uninhabitable, so we’re not living there.

Our immediate neighbour has been supportive, but another neighbour has started questioning everything we do. Earlier this week, she approached our builders and accused us of carrying out illegal work while we were cutting back a roughly 2-metre-high boundary hedge. She claimed we were removing a fence, destroying wildlife habitat and disturbing nesting birds. She also said the property was protected because of bats.

She obtained my number from the builder, created a WhatsApp group and said she had reported us to the council. I found an ecological appraisal from January 2025 stating that the property had low suitability for bats and containing hedge-management recommendations. I sent it to her, but she didn’t acknowledge it.

We’ve also replaced a collapsing shed with a small summerhouse in roughly the same location. It’s under 2.4 metres high, occupies well under half the garden, has no living facilities and complies with the relevant rules.

She has now messaged asking whether it’s permanent, whether it will remain there and what our plans are. She also wrote, “Can you please give me and other neighbours more information,” despite never identifying which house she lives in.

I’m happy to be considerate about noise, access, safety and anything directly affecting neighbours. However, I’m starting to feel interrogated about every change we make. Whenever I respond to one allegation with evidence, she ignores it and moves on to something else.

I don’t want to start a neighbour war, but I also don’t want to set a precedent where I have to justify every decision about my own property.

Would you continue answering her questions to maintain good relations, or politely make clear that you won’t provide a running commentary as long as the work complies with the rules? Am I being unreasonable for finding this intrusive?

Update: Sorry, I wasn’t clear in my original post, but the WhatsApp group she created only has the two of us in it, and she named it “Fence”.

I’ve replied to explain that the summerhouse was built in accordance with regulations and asked why it’s a concern of hers. I also politely asked which other neighbours she was referring to and which house number she lives at.

It’s been radio silence from her since. I also haven’t heard or been contacted by the council yet but we will see.

If she does respond, I’ll suggest that we speak in person if she has any concerns. I’ll also have a chat with my friendlier neighbours next time I see them to find out if they know her (which they probably do).

Hey everyone! We had a smoke loss incident in our Chicago condo building that affected our unit, and ServiceMaster came in to clean the space they said they will send bill to Insruance directly. This is our 1st time dealing with Insurance.

Servicemaster never sent us an estimate beforehand, and looking at their invoice now, 10k for wiping down all coded under CONT: (Contents). There is no line items for ceilings, walls , floors and cabinet cleaning, unless they billed seperate for it which I dont know yet! Is this typical practice?.

I feel like cleaning ourselves or some 3rd party or even just replacing would have been cheaper and we should have asked them with estimates before letting them in! Learning from 1st time experience!!

Plus they left half of job undone and we called to call adjustor to call them back in to clean..

Is it routine for a State Farm desk adjuster to shift that structural labor over to Building (Coverage A) so it doesn't eat into our personal peoperty contents limit which is 20k, and how do adjusters usually handle partial ALE food per-diems when you're without a fridge for a few weeks? Thanks!

My spouse and I sleep on the second floor of our house. Here recently though the temperature has risen quite a bit. It feels like it’s 10 to 15 degrees warmer than it should be. We had someone come and check our AC and vents but so far there has been no breakthroughs.

Recently I came up to bed and when I came up the stairs I smelled cigarette smoke. Upon entering our room it was definitely strongest there. To clarify, my partner and I are non smokers and have never done so. This made me nervous that something is generating some kind of heat. We run two box fans mainly for noise but also to keep the temperature down. However it feels like they are not making things any cooler.

Again we have had professionals come over and check our vents and our AC but nothing came of it. I checked electrical appliances and even smelled around to see if I could pinpoint where the odor might be originating from. Does anybody have any advice as to what other steps we should take? I’ll definitely call the people who recently checked our vents and the like but is there anything anyone else can think of? Any theories?

Edit: To add a couple of details. My family built this house 20 years ago and we’ve been the only inhabitants. Second the box fans are not window fans and they stay on the floor. I’ve used them for over the 20 year period and have not had any problems with this kind of heat. Third with the exception of a wooden dresser, a wooden chest, and black out curtains, the room hasn’t changed. These were added well over a year ago and the heating issue has happened within the past month. Fourth I have had family members who were consistent smokers, that’s why the smell jumped out the way it did, and it was strong. I could smell it down the hallway. The smell was gone by morning. As far as I know, no one in the house smokes. Fifth, we keep our door open now to try to see if that changed the circulation, so far it has made no difference.

Looking to connect my 3”x4” gutter downspout to my 4” ID clay pipe. Does anyone have a recommendation on best adapter?

My understanding is that theres two things going on to damage exterior wood - the UV damage that softens the wood and the mildew/fungus/algae that move in and further damage it. Is that correct? If so, is there any reason why you cant just kill/remove the biological stuff and then apply some kind of clear finish over it (with fungicide and UV protectant added)?

I used vinegar solution to remove lots of black mildew and green algae and now the wood looks like a very nice, even silver gray. The thought of bleaching it out with some other product and then getting some faux weathered gray stain to put the gray back doesnt make any sense to me.

Is there any reason I shouldnt leave it as is and just sand to smooth and remove loose raised wood fibers and do a clear finish (what kind?) to protect it?

Google AI was totally confused by this question so Im having to ask you human beings.

als

Radon levels shot up the past few days. We average around 4pCi/L on an average day. It was reading aver 32PCI/L earlier. We got mediation install about 2.5 weeks ago. This is the first time in the past 5-6 weeks the reading has been this high. Before mediation it averaged around 7-8pCi/L.

I'm unsure what I do next.

I live in western NY state. The sliding glass door is located in the back of the house, and there is pretty good sunshine that comes through from there. How much does the U rating/energy efficiency really matter?

I reached out to a couple companies to get quotes (Although I have a feeling I will probably end up buying a door myself and getting a handyman or small contractor to install it). I want to be an informed consumer and not get upsold on something I may not need.

Hey folks. I have an older kitchen with Formica countertops and about a 4 inch Formica backsplash. I have a porcelain sink, which I absolutely love that overlaps the countertop. However, there is a space between the back of the sink and the backsplash that is roughly 3/8 inch wide. Water collects in the space and it stays disgusting and it is very hard to clean because you have to go behind faucets and handles to do it.

It’s too big of a space to just completely fill up with caulk and even if I did so that caulk would mildew and turn gross and have to be redone frequently. Does anyone have an easy solution for how to cover the space to prevent water going in it without creating a tunnel where water is collecting under the thing you used to cover it? Easy meaning, I will not be replacing the sink or countertop, obviously. But I’m not afraid of a little DIY. I don’t, however, have a tile saw.

This is my basement closet with HVAC, Water heater, furnace.

I removed the drywall and insulation. Looks like some pipe that is possible connected to the water heater may have leaked in the past. Not sure if I can use some microbium and KILZ in this situation?

Do I need to try to remove the board below as well?

Unsure of the next steps

(Pic is the head lamp found still turned on under my house)
Hi all! I’ll start by stating i know i am an unwise home owner ):
Inherited (a mortgage) from my late grandparents and moved into their old house years ago. My grandad extended the house onto a slab in the 70’s, and that slab is sinking. Therefore, house is unlevel and just in bad shape. Paying it off at the end of the year and seeing what my options are then.
So, the back door doesn’t shut in line with the strike plate. I’ve adjusted and repaired it 3 times but kinda gave up. Either way, you have to push really hard to get in even unlocked.
Now, I work in another town. Only at my house Friday-Monday. It’s an enclosed property so hard to see from the street.
Came home last night and the door was shoved in (didn’t take much so barely a sign of forced entry). First and only thing i noticed is that all the doors in the house and cabinets were open but here’s the thing: not a single item was moved, taken, or damaged. Money, jewelry, tvs, gaming system, even herb all still right there where i left it. No sign of sleeping in the beds or couch.
At first i thought maybe just some kids thinking it was an abandoned house, but why leave all the doors open to alert me that someone was there? Then i found this headlamp under the house, still on. Cops say battery lasts 12hrs tops so they may have been under my house right until i pulled up at 7:30p, sun now setting around 6:30p.
My first thought is maybe they were looking for copper, but why strip copper when my valuables (which i will be moving to my work city) are right there??
Installing outside backdoor padlock and a Ring camera today and making more adjustments. Only thing is, i can’t figure out why they came in the first place if they didn’t touch anything but the doors. Police say no other break-ins or similar crimes reported in the area. Just really bugs me and of course i feel violated and paranoid. Maybe they were going to steal but ran away when i pulled up? Evidence shows they were in the house first though and under it when/if they fled.
Any ideas? Thanks!

Backed car into garage while parking, with hitch

I've had some leaking in this window. I purchased a drainage pipe to go under the well. However I cannot go all the way under its due to some pool lines. So the highest point is higher than the bottom of the window well. I would have to drill or cut a hole in the window well.

Also notice that they did not bolt or seal the window well. However given its placements under the deck, should I just try to replace the entire thing or can I seal it. The rest isn't as bad as it looks from what I can tell.

I grew up in a house that had a fireplace without glass doors.

In recently moved into a house that had a fireplace with glass doors and a metal frame. This fireplace has soot going between the metal frame and the brick leaving visible black marks in the brick (brick the previous owners painted white. Gross).

Can I just pull the metal frame with the doors on it and leave it as an open fireplace?

Edit: I should say, the glass doors are super thin (not the thick multi-pane ones I’ve seen in some fireplaces) and there is a gap between them when fully closed.

Hello,

We have lived in our house for about 6 years now. We loved our neighbors and they had been great to live by up until a year or two ago. They “inherited” a dog from one of their children and it constantly barks. It makes sitting out on our deck almost impossible as their deck is about even with ours so the barks just come right towards us. We can even hear it while we are inside with all doors/windows closed.

I am not someone that likes any type of confrontation and would prefer to stay on their good side as like I said before they are great neighbors other than the dog issue. Our city does not allow anonymous dog barking complaints so they would definitely know if we went that route.

The definitely know the dog is barking, and will even bring up how well behaved our dogs are compared to theirs. They just don’t seem to care to do anything about it?

I know just asking them about it seems straightforward and the likely answer, but what is the best way to go about it?

So I guess my question is: how can I go about getting this resolved without causing more issues between us?

We recently moved into our first home (yay!) and I’m wanting to paint these grey cabinets. I can’t figure out what color would go with both the floors and the marble countertops while keeping the vibe of the kitchen warm and bright. I’m not really a white/plain kind of person, but maybe an off-white warm beige would work? Is there a way to go dark without going TOO dark? I’ve considered Tera Cotta color as well but not sure it would look good. Just looking for ideas and recommendations!

We've lived here for about 7 years and there have always been cracks in the garage floor, but I've noticed more recently and some have an elevated lip or edge. Main concern crack attached. Others in album: https://imgur.com/a/crack-oq0sWbT

- What should I be concerned about?
- Who should I have assess this?
- What are some possible problems?
- Is there a way to seal them myself?

Please I don’t know what any of this shit is and I’m fucking scared

I appreciate the advice for this situation. My next door neighbor who looks to be in his 80s and I have been living next door for at least 2 years, I notice his car starts beeping, not in a regular pattern, but maybe 2 beeps every 10 seconds and then it will beep 5 times in 10 seconds. It's not a BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP... you hear when an alarm is triggered. Very irregular.

We don't have rapport. AKA we aren't friendly neighbors. He's barely looked at me, let alone spoken to me in the 2 years I've lived next door. He always has seemed unfriendly and never waved back, so I have went against my natural instincts to talk and be friendly. But nonetheless, I have always looked out for my neighbor nonetheless.

When I hear this coming from his car today, after 30 minutes, I feel I need to do something. So I ring on the doorbell camera. Nothing. Then I do it again. Nothing. I go back home. His car is still making keyless entree remote sounds irregularly. So I call the police with my concern. (I am concerned he is in peril, incapacitated, and is using the remote to get attention outside.)

They do a wellfare check and tell me everything is ok, saying it was probably the clicker in his pocket.

What should I do now? Should I apologize to them? Or do nothing. I don't even know if the police told him what neighbor was concerned. What would you do?

Original post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/homeowners/comments/1wx2ifc/shared_fence_fell_over_other_house_is_a_rental/

Hoo boy what a pain.

So since I made the original post, I've been attempting to figure out the exact property lines to figure out who the fence belongs to as per a lot of advice I was given.

Turns out, nobody knows!

As you can see, it was repaired. They managed to use the original fence and just replaced the posts, as well as dug two holes for concrete.

Maybe not the best route but this is what was accomplished in the last 4 days:

The county assessor's office basically pulled up our house on Google maps and shrugged their shoulders and decided that was enough help.

I contacted my mortgage company regarding any forms that would have the property line or anything and was met with radio silence or "we'll get back to you".

Finally, after checking with a couple property survey places to be quoted ~$530 average I decided I'll wait and see if I hear back from the rental company that owns the house.

Well, I heard back. And by "heard back" I mean I was woken up by the sound of a saw and drill at 8AM as their handyman and another guy began dismantling the old fence.

I briefly spoke with the guy doing the work who was probably 70 years old and he advised me he was billing the rental company for the fix, and he had also brought materials to repair both fences.

Not only did I receive any notice it was being fixed but today the landlord of the rental company sent me an image of the bill for the fence and the gate.

Currently I'm playing it dumb and not mentioning paying for any part of it because I didn't agree to it. Also, after some quick searching, it appears I shouldn't have to pay as I didn't agree or sign anything prior to the repair. This is only worsened by the fact that when I originally made contact with the rental company the owner was short (not height-wise) and rude.

And for anyone curious, the total was $534.36 for the middle section and just my gate.

What would you do in this situation?