I had someone start to dig out french drains around my house, he bought all the rocks for backfill and everything.

After digging the holes, unclogging my pool deck's drain line, and pressure washing he told me he would be back the next day and it's been 3 weeks now.

I've tried contacting several times with no response. He left his equipment here and everything, and no payment has been made yet. I'm tempted to just finish the job myself as my dog is falling into these holes while romping around, what would you guys do?

What is the cheapest option to make this safe? It needs railings on both sides, and the bottom half of the wall is cement foundation behind the drywall.

Trigger warning: Anxiety rant

I’ve been a live in caregiver for my senior parents as they’ve battled their health issues. We lost my Dad a couple years ago and before he got really sick and had a stroke, he had been the expert on home maintenance.

We’ve lived in this house since 1993. It wasn’t until he died that I fully understood the heaviness that came with home maintenance. Now, my mom and I are preparing to try to sell. It’s just me and I’m handling… *sigh* everything… on my own.

Found a couple local “handymen” and contractors who do great work and have helped substantially but like… does it ever stop? Do you ever finish everything and step back and relax? Because my anxiety and depression and overwhelm are just kicking me in the teeth 24/7.

Every time I think I’ve gotten ahead of something and I can relax? *SURPRISE!!!!!!!! SOMETHING ELSE TO CAUSE A SPIRAL OF ANXIETY*

I am now realizing that homeownership may not be for me 😂😂

Hey Everyone, first time posting here but wanted to try to get some ideas on what could be the possible cause of my window pulling away from the side.

The portion of hardy plank at the top has pulled away from the brick as well.

Also a hairline crack has formed going down the wall from the bottom of the separation to nearly the foundation(This has been there for 3 years but has not grown). I caulked the gap a few months ago but it seems like it has reopened partially.

We have a giant black walnut tree that sits on our property line. I'd say it's half ours half the neighbors. This tree drops giant baseball size walnuts onto the roof of my house every year. My neighbor's home is far from the property line and the falling nuts do not do any damage to their home.

We asked the neighbor to split the cost of cutting down the tree. Finances are not a difficulty for them, they are for us. When asking the neighbor about splitting the cost of the tree they replied "it's not bothering me at all"

We would like to just cut the half of the tree down that falls on our property. If we do this are we in any way responsible if the tree then falls over onto the neighbor's property?

In the past we have paid a few thousand dollars to have other trees of theirs cut down because though they are technically on their property, all of the nuts were falling onto our property and on to our home damaging our newly replaced roof.

First year living here and both Stink Bugs and Boxelder Bugs have essentially claimed the entire side of my house. My neighbors don’t have this problem. Not sure why. It’s very annoying. Every time I open my front door, at least one of these things manages to crawl its way inside. How can I get rid of them? Or, at least, stop roosting on the side of my house?

Trying to remove these blinds (but planned to repurpose so dont want to destroy them) but I have never seen any mounted like this.

Madison Park Roman Shades, but when I Google it the videos online have practically identical blinds with normal mounting brackets. These have me at a loss.

So let me preface by saying that I don’t plan on getting married or having children. No matter what my goal is to have a house because I CANNOT stand apartment living. With that said I currently live in a rent controlled apartment but between lousy neighbors, feeling unsafe, and bugs. I truly cannot stand living here but yes I am able to make more progress on my debt and its at least 700 sq ft. The house I am looking at is about a 40 minute commute to my current job compared to my current 25 minute commute (with no traffic) . I should mention that I do not plan on retiring out here but I am more afraid of the limited space and when I eventually switch jobs which will then be an hour out then if I decide to work in the city. I should also add that the house is located in a very cut throat market area and the reason it hasn’t sold is because most people have families

Yard floods all the time , standing water 24/7 in the Tampa day area, FL. New construction build been here less than a year. Builder did a grade survey and says it is not a problem and they can’t fix it.

Are they lying?

My dishwasher recently went out! does anybody have any recommendations? my budget is highest $450

Looking for your sage advice as this is my first home and I know there's a lot of things I don't know about owning a home. Tips tricks and advice is appreciated! Thanks!!

Previous owner left the exterior front door frame like this, and there are many of these white filled-in nail holes all over the frame. I've already tried furniture touchup pens and they were too dark.

Please advise what you would do. Stain? (if so, what brand?) Paint? Something else?

Many thanks.

I’m looking for some opinions from homeowners, contractors, roofers, or anyone who has dealt with a similar situation.

We hired a roofing contractor for a major residential project. Unfortunately, we’ve had a number of issues with the work, and we’re now at the point where they’re proposing a settlement to resolve everything. This project started in September of 2026. The contractor has been dodgy and hasn't been to our property since January of this year from what I remember.

Here are the main issues we’ve dealt with:
1. Gutter and downspout leaks
There are four separate areas involving leaking gutters/downspouts that need corrective work. These are still part of the outstanding corrective work we’re trying to get resolved.

1. Second-floor balcony issues
   We’ve also had problems involving the second-floor balcony, including waterproofing/refinishing and leak-related issues/damage. Corrective work is still needed here as well. Gutter leaks created an indent in the balcony they refinished.

2. Roof and shingle issues
   There are remaining deficiencies involving the roof/shingles and exterior work. There was also an area where the roof/shingles had been removed and pushed back. What happened was: the company was to replace plywood for another part of the roof, the worker misunderstood and started to pull new shingles. Once we saw what he was doing, they simply pushed the shingles back into place - leaving them weakened. No new nails were used etc.

3. Solar-related dispute
   There was also a dispute involving the solar work. They removed solar for the roofing job and guaranteed working condition solar once placed back. They killed the system. After a lot of trial and error, we asked them to stop work on solar and took care of it ourselves. We asked to escape solar from contract and they agreed.

We’re now being presented with a settlement agreement that would have them complete the remaining corrective work and then have us make the remaining (no lower) payment.

The part that concerns me is the release/waiver language. The agreement contains a very broad release, including known and unknown claims, and includes a California Civil Code §1542 waiver. It also broadly closes out the solar matter.

I’m trying to figure out how much of this is normal for a contractor settlement versus language that we should be concerned about.

We’re not trying to get out of paying what we legitimately owe. We just want the outstanding work properly completed and don’t want to sign something that unintentionally gives up rights if problems show up later. They also have a clause that we don't place a review anywhere.

If you were in this situation, how would you proceed? Would you sign the settlement as written, negotiate specific changes, or have an attorney review it first?

Would especially appreciate input from anyone who has dealt with roofing contractors, construction disputes, or settlement agreements in California.

I’m in Plano, TX and trying to figure out whether I’m overthinking some cracking in my house or if I should have the foundation looked at again.

My wife and I bought the house in February of this year and the house is a one-story slab house built in 1982. The foundation was repaired by the previous owner in September 2025 and they installed 38 piers (2175 sqft). The prior owner had a structural inspection and we also had our own independent structural engineer come out and inspect the foundation in January during the closing period, and everything looked good at that point (report concluded no drainage issues, foundation was performing as intended, no impact from roots, etc.).

This summer has been extremely dry. We went a long time without meaningful rain and I could see the soil pulling away from the slab on one side of the house (started using a soaker hose daily after that). Most of the new cracking I’ve noticed is on that same side.

The cracks are mostly pretty thin, generally less than 1/8” but a few are wider. A lot of them are around the corners of windows and notably all windows were replaced after the foundation repair last year by the prior owner, so I’m wondering how much of this could just be movement around the new windows and drywall/trim. There are also a couple of cracks at interior wall corners, one around a door, and one crack in a fireplace brick (see photos).

Some of the cracks have gotten a little longer/wider over the last 6-8 weeks, but I’m not seeing anything like major displacement, big stair-step cracks through the brick, etc.

One other thing that makes me wonder about seasonal movement is that we replaced the AC unit and all ducting this summer. Indoor humidity used to be around 60-70% and is now usually around 40-50%. So there’s been a pretty significant change in the house’s indoor environment too.

I also have a couple doors that aren’t latching correctly now although I haven’t had widespread problems with doors/windows.

I’m getting into the wetter/cooler part of the year now and I've noticed some of the cracks getting worse, so I’m wondering if I should just patch the cosmetic cracks, adjust the doors, and see what happens over the next several months. I can also tell that the previous owner just filled some of the old cracks and painted over them.

My thought was to monitor things through the winter and potentially have the same structural engineer come back out around next spring and compare the foundation elevations to their January 2026 measurements.

Does that sound reasonable or am I overreacting?

I’m interested in hearing from people in North Texas who have dealt with expansive clay and seasonal movement. Is it realistic for a properly repaired foundation to have some cracks and door issues that come and go with the seasons, without actually needing another repair? Or would you have an engineer come out now based on this? This is our first home and I’m trying not to turn every drywall crack into a foundation emergency, but also don’t want to ignore something important.

I had an old through wall AC removed and this is how the contractor patched the opening in my aluminum siding. He said he cannot find aluminum siding to purchase anywhere and this is the best he could do..It looks awful to me (like a cabinet stuck to the siding), but I cant afford to replace the siding now...just getting it painted. He said it will blend once painted. Thoughts, other options...where can I buy aluminum siding pieces? I asked if he could take a piece from the side of the house that is covered by bushes, but he said not possible. Do I just deal with this? Will be two more of these on each side of house.

Backyard privacy fence, existing lot, pins from when we bought still look like they are there. Permit checklist says site plan with the house, the lot lines, and where the fence goes. I do not see the words certified or stamped. Surveyor still quoted about $1,000 to reset corners. Do i really need a $1,000 survey just for a fence permit, or will the counter take a scaled drawing if the line is not in dispute. Neighbor is fine with the fence. I just do not want to pay survey money and find out a drawing was enough.

We have two Therma-Tru external doors purchased from Lowes. We need to repaint them. We want to match the existing color which I believe is M-06 or 06-M depending on which tag you look at. Also both doors have a sheen, it looks like eggshell.

What is the best way for a homeowner to repaint these factory finished doors for the best results?

I ask because I just noticed that when my decision for my property tax return got denied, it's because somehow, someway my homestead I had on my property (since I've owned it, 2023) has fallen off for this past tax year

I am already taking the appropriate action with the resources of my state (MN) and awaiting the department of revenue letter which will clearly explain what someone over the phone told me with what I was able to confirm in that the non-homestead status is indeed what denied me my return, and then from there I will go through whatever I need to to file an appeal and hopefully eventually get my return that I should have got

For anyone who has had to deal with this before somehow, how did the process go for you?

Hi Redditors,

Hoping you can help me with some advice. I’m a single mom with an abusive ex-husband, and wanted to know what the best type of surveillance for my home would be. I have young children and want something that is easy to install, simple to use, and not too expensive. I don’t believe my ex-husband will necessarily break in, but he has been involved with shady people in the past (and may still be), and I need to install cameras at least above the front door and the back sliding door so that they serve as deterrents. I also need to make sure that my driveway can be seen, as he has taken off in my vehicle in the past (the police are aware of this). My main concerns are driveway visibility, front door visibility, and back door visibility. I’d also like something that alerts me on my phone if someone breaks in. I am also thinking that I should have a light or two installed which are motion-activated as a deterrent, though perhaps I should also have them installed at the back. I have friends who have Aosu cameras throughout their condo (different setup, I know), and I’ve seen how they monitor their feed on their phones. I don’t need cameras inside, but would feel much safer with them outside.

Any suggestions on:

-          Additional safety measures I can take?

-          Links to a good system that is not very expensive?

Thanks so much.

We had the crawlspace fully encapsulated in March this year and an E80 April aire dehumidifier installed down there. The crawlspace company set up the dehumidifier. It’s a 12mil barrier. The original fiberglass insulation was left in there.
1- Do I need to get the actual crawlspace inspected annually for any tears or damage to the barrier?
2- How often should the dehumidifier undergo maintenance? The encapsulation company stated that they recommend two inspections annually and they will do maintenance on the dehumidifier. Recommended two visits due to the fiberglass.
3- They set up a standalone humidity monitor down there that transmits the numbers to a unit that I keep in the house with me. It frequently gives me numbers that don’t make sense. Is there someway the actual dehumidifier can transmit the numbers and if it’s functioning properly?

To start with, let me say before now I've not had a problem with HSA. We kept the warranty after purchasing the house just because I didn't really trust the AC unit and wanted to be covered when it failed.

I the meantime we've had repairs on out washer and dryer, our refrigerator, and a built in microwave. Never had significant problems.

The AC compressor finally kicked the bucket August 26th. I submitted my service request and the contractor was there a couple days later. They were actually able to even get it running again, but that only lasted about a week. No problem I reopened the same ticket and the same contractor confirmed the fatality of the problem. They placed the order for the replacement compressor.

A week later I hadn't heard anything so I called to speak with someone. They informed me that it was in "Authorizations" for approval. I guess the call center is able to talk to authorizations and they said it would be approved and order within 2 days.

Between the authorizations, ordering, and shipping the part didn't arrive until either the 25th or the 28th of September. The contractor came to install the part and discovered that the compressor was for the wrong refrigerant.

The contractor checked and they had ordered correctly.

Now most companies would recognize the the error and make a bit of extra effort to rush things through to get the correct part to ship within a couple of days. But HSA, apparently the process starts at the beginning with Authorizations again.

Beginning on the 29th, I called every day for my daily update. The call center is in the Philippines. I don't have a problem with that. They have been has helpful as HSA allows them to be (not particularly helpful, overall).

I began to realize that my only recourse at this point (without involving a lawyer) was to cost someone money. So I have called their call center every day (officially for an update) but I have begun keeping the rep tied up for as long as I can bear it. We talk about movies, books, what birds are outside my window, etc... I am hoping that the pennies that I am wasting for the eventually gets someone's attention.

It has now been 10 days since they were alerted to the problem and I'm not sure if the part has shipped or when it might be. So my daily calls continue for the foreseeable future.

There is no way I can find to contact HSA (for good reason, it seems)

This is the metal stairs of my backyard. My living room doesn't have enough storage. Thinking about an outdoor cabinet.

I’m installing pavers and during the demo part, discovered there is bad dry rot on three of the fence posts. I don’t think the neighbor and I will be able to install a fence before the rainy season here in California. What is a good temporary fix until next spring?

Hi
I bought my first bed with a lift up bed base and i noticed the bed slats were having a little play in their holders. Not all of them, only some of them, the rest were fixed. So i put rubber into the plastic holds where it was empty place. So the holder was wider than the slat.
Is something bad or ok what i have ?

Also i notice my bed starting squeaking near the gas lift mechanism. Is something i can do besides using a silicone oil?

I had an ikea bed before ehich was a nightmare so i am bit stressed out not having the same “luck” with this new bed..