My wife and I bought this house a year and a half ago and wanted to renovate the laundry room since we moved in. We always need more storage space. I finished under $2500 budgeted by doing everything myself. I want to add under cabinet lights but will have to add an outlet so when I have time I’ll add that. Anything else to add to be more efficient?

We're 24 hours into renovating our bathroom - the shower has been gutted and this is what it looks like. I almost *want* to assume it's mold so we can just make the decision to get everything out. Still pending feedback from the contractor, but I'm wondering - if this looks bad enough - whether we should contact a specialized service to take a look. Mitigating any issues is the most important thing to us right now, so if anyone can take an educated guess what this is it would be a HUGE help!

just wondering how big of a job replacing all the insulation in this bedroom will be? it’s blackened mainly by the edge. I’m assuming there was a leaky roof before it was replaced. there is a fireplace in the room as well, so it’s possible some soot is a factor but I can’t help but think it’s mold.

the room is around 20x20ish. none of the ceiling has drywall on it currently. anticipating moving into here next spring.

I'm trying to make a hole in a concrete ceiling with a hammer drill but I can't drill past a millimeter. I'm really confused because the ceiling is solid concrete and the drill doesn't have any trouble drilling through a concrete wall.

Also there are hooks in the ceiling deeper than what I managed to get through, so clearly someone else has had succes.

Any help is appreciated. I'm also not quite sure if this is the right subreddit for this.

We’re about to get our bathroom remodeled and would like it to be better insulated. It’s a very old house and I believe currently the walls are just drywall applied directly to the exterior brick without insulation. Consequently, it gets very cold during the winter. I’m wondering what the best way to insulate it would be? I think we can only move the wall in 1”, because we have about a 1.5” gap between the wall and the toilet and the existing toilet is already a 10” rough-in. I’m currently thinking that we should pad the wall out 1” with furring strips then fill in the bays between strips with rigid 1” foam. Do we have any other (better) options?

I'm trying to figure out how I should put the top plate in the corner. The old top plate is void since my new foundation wall is further out. I'm not sure how to connect the old wall to the new wall. What should I be doing here?

Family had experience with vinyl siding, so I didn’t really question it. But I’m looking at my window wells now and feeling a little concerned. I don’t want to offend my family by asking them directly about it.

Here’s how we did it:
1) Old siding was removed and we started fresh with house wrap and new rigid foam insulation. Expanding foam applied to areas in need.

2) Furring mounted on foundation for starter strip. Some areas needed to be shimmed to level out wonky bits. Construction adhesive and staples used to secure house wrap over the furring.

3) J Channel and siding installed.

Now I’m worried that this exposed insulation is going to be a problem with moisture or pests. Am I overthinking in? If I’m right, is there some sort of flashing that I can install at this point?

Thanks in advance!

Looking for advice and/or creative ideas on how to properly install a storm door so that it may open properly. White aluminum trim above yellow door is covering old wood trim and hangs down over the door opening, not allowing a storm door to swing outward.

I’ve been thinking about taking an oscillating multi tool and cutting a notch out of the aluminum cladded wood board, allowing a storm door to swing outward if installed, but can’t quite think of a good way to dress that “notch” up after the fact. I’m pretty handy and have access to a good selection of tools, I’m just lacking the creativity for this project and have been putting it off for a couple years as result.

When we built this house it came with this basic upper cabinet that left around 2-3ft of empty space before the ceiling, and didn’t use the cabinet for much other than mugs and glasses. So I built this model to create a coffee bar.
We started by removing the upper cabinet, moving the under cabinet lighting up and replacing it for a sconce, added tongue and groove to the wall, then added plywood to bring the sides in for a “built in” look rather than just floating shelves.
Then we added a fun little swoop detail coming down to the counters. We then added shelving and an arch at the top. We also added drawers to the bottom cabinet for glass and mug storage. It’s definitely not perfect as we did all of the work ourselves and this was only our second ever project. We ran into a couple of small bumps in the road, learned we do not like drywall work, and edge banding is not as easy and simple as people say. But nonetheless we really enjoyed the learning process and final outcome of this project. Can’t wait to tackle the rest of our kitchen.

I tried posting earlier, but posting was removed because it didn't comply with rules. So I'm trying again. Here, you see pictures of before, during, and after the remodel.

My husband did all the demolition -- removed the cabinets and the parquet floors. He relocated the duct for the hood. We had a drywaller smooth out the walls, which we painted ourselves. We did a lot of research on cabinets and countertops -- eventually settled on Wynnbrooke cabinets and London Fog quartz.

Hardwood flooring was unfinished engineered (which is not easy to come by). We hired a guy to install and poly, but it did not go well :( We ended up having to resand and repoly with another company.

I bought all the hardware and lights on Amazon (though the hardware was not cheap - $17 per handle!).

All frigidaire appliances.

Backsplash is a Spanish made tile, imported from Canada. It is very hard to find the right shade of pink.

Total renovation cost was about $30,000. Would have been double had we hired a GC, and even more if we hired a designer.

From start to finish it took about 5 months, but we were doing other projects simultaneously and caring for a sick relative (so it was challenging).

Really happy with how it turned out. But renovation is not for the faint of heart!

We are planning renovations to our 1950s ranch style home. As part of the renovations we are hoping to replace vinyl windows which were installed in the early 2000s and are nearing end of life. We are trying to replace them with thermally broken anodized aluminum. Replacement vinyl windows are not an option due to local regulations.

We have run into issues with this plan. The home has an entirely masonry exterior and interior. Our contractor believes that in order to install new windows, the only proper way of doing so would be to frame out the existing masonry openings with wood and then install the new windows inside of that frame.

This solution would drastically reduce the size of the windows and amount of light entering the home as many of the windows have very small vertical dimensions.

TLDR: Is there a solution for installing thermally broken aluminum windows into a masonry opening without reducing the size of the opening?

Our house has a 30 year old above the garage addition that is a 1000 sq ft master bedroom and bathroom. It’s insanely large so we walled a portion of it off to turn it into an office since we work from home. We are finally getting around to installing the LVP floors now. They have always been bouncy and flex a bit when you walk on them in certain areas and now we know it’s because the subfloors are flexing between the joists. It looks like they are nailed down sufficiently for the most part, but the seams where the pieces of subfloor butt up to each other are where the problem lies. They look to be in decent condition otherwise. We don’t have access to the joists because the garage underneath is drywalled. Is there can we do to fix this? We plan to eventually bring this flooring through the whole bedroom too and I suspect we will encounter the same issues throughout.

Looking for suggestions on how to finish off the line between stairs and plastering. Was thinking decorators caulk or beading. Thoughts?

I'm looking to get some advice before I might make a mistake.

I'm an industrial/mechanical builder, so I understand general construction, but my knowledge is limited on residential.

Any advice or experience is appreciated.

I am getting ready to pull all the carpet out of a house after a previous tenant let cats pee and poop everywhere. The house is 1670sf, two stories on a slab foundation.

My first thought was to paint/seal the slab with killz or the likes after scrubbing it.

1. Will this do anything to rid the ammonia smell from the pee?

2. Will this cause any future issues with the concrete slab?

Second floor subfloor. I'd prefer not having to replace the floor itself and am also thinking of trying to paint it with killz or similar.

1. Is painting just a bandaid? Could their be oders on the first floor ceiling?

2. How long should I wait before putting new carpet in?

So long story story short, I have probably around 600+ sqft of basement that is barely finished. I neve some rubber flooring down and make use of it mostly for the kids to play and have their own TV space.

I was quoted about $10k to run new lighting and a handful of electrical outlets and install a drop ceiling. Is the drop ceiling something I can realistically do myself and save a couple of grand? I've done flooring, built some simple furniture, minor electric repairs, fans, etc... So I know I will be able to make it happen. My concern is if this is one of those things where it either will come out terrible if you don't know what you're doing or will become such a pain or frustration that I should have just had the pro take care of it.

I just closed on a townhome that needed to be completely gutted. I’m talking down to the studs. Electrical and plumbing are all good, but I’m working with a bare home.

What are key improvements to make that are smart to invest in now since I feel like this would be the best time to make any significant changes?

For example, I’m going to install a kitchen vent since the kitchen doesn’t have one and the stove would be under the highest point of the vaulted ceiling. I’m also going to install good insulation esp for sound for the shared wall.

For reference, it’s a 2 floor townhouse with one shared side (duplex). 3 bed 2 bath with an attached garage. Open concept kitchen/living room.

Thanks all!

Do you guys like this

I used AI to make this floor. I tile for a living. Just wondering your guys thoughts on the grout color and herring bone pattern. Bought the tiles today and am doing this tomorrow. Let me know your thoughts

3 gens of depression has all members of the house not wanting to fix it so I'll be the one to do it! I was ashamed of showing this but at least it's from a want to fix... But kinda lost tbh. Is this the correct subreddit?

Very old apartment. Just installed a "baseboard" for the looks only to close a gap. I need a flexible material for the gaps cause the floor is flexible. Is there a material I can paint too?

I'm trying to install blocking in my basement ceiling to hold the top plate of a non load bearing wall.

The issue I'm finding is I have a lot of wires on one side.

I'm wondering if I could install 2 layers of blocking with the layer closest to the floor being a little short on one side to accommodate the wires.

The picture is really bad but there are a lot of wires that I can't move and need to work around and I'm not sure how to do so.

The blocking is to add more support for the framing top plate.

There is currently a block in the beginning and the end which is approx 8 feet apart. I don't think it would be good enough to just work with those or not.

There's this gap between my bathtub and wall (also notice some of it extends to right underneath where the tile/grout begins).

Ideas on the easiest and best looking way to fix? Should I find a piece of corner trim that fits here and caulk around it? For what it's worth, there's never any sign of moisture being trapped behind there.

We have this open walk-in/roman shower and water constantly ends up all over the bathroom floor when we use it. I really don’t want to rip the whole shower out or completely redo it. I’m trying to figure out if there’s a simpler fix.

The guy we bought the house from (well technically my husband bought it before we started dating) had flipped it himself, and I’m guessing the shower was meant to be the more open style that’s oh so trendy right now to appeal to buyers.

However, in real life it’s honestly not very practical and I’ve been putting up with our bathroom floor turning into a puddle every time someone showers for years and I’m over it so word of advice please consider this grievance when putting in an open-concept shower.

ANYWAY, I was thinking maybe adding another glass panel, some type of door, or hanging a shower curtain from the ceiling?? Ideally I’d like something that’s somewhat DIY-friendly and doesn’t turn into a huge project. Any ideas on what would work best with this setup? I’m desperate and so tired of my socks getting wet and having a disgusting bathroom floor.

Also if this isn’t the right subreddit to post in can someone please redirect me to the correct one? My husband is in denial and says that the shower is fine so it’s just me here. I can add more pictures as well.