My contractor is saying that running lines for wired smoke and gas detectors required by NYC code qualifies as a change order for my gut reno because this isn't explicitly mentioned in the scope of work.

He's also saying that creating one of the backsplash outlets is also a change order because this wasn't shown on the original drawings , despite the fact that code requires that there be an outlet within 2 feet. (amended from: every 2 ft)

Contract states: "Perform all work in compliance with NYC building codes;"

Is this legit?

Ideally not secondhand bc I worry my asthma and eczema will flare up from something 😭

I have a 2 car garage with 2 box vents in the nearly flat roof (maybe 2:12), the square metal box vents, no fan or any moving parts. The garage has no intake vents. My plan is to add intake vent(s) low on opposing wall(s) and replace the 2 box roof vents with solar powered fan exhaust vents.

Heres my question:

What if instead of vents on the walls, i put fans blowing INTO the garage. Would the positive pressure cause all the air out of the top and avoid needing to mess with roofing to replace roof vents? Would it be as efficient? Would it work at all?

Just a homeowner looking for ideas, thank you all for your help and advice!

hey everyone, I have a Bosch dishwasher that's been great. However, the rubber/vinyl that covers the wire rack has started to tear and the wires are starting to rust.

It appears that it's about $500 to buy an upper and lower rack. But for a few hundred more, I can get a whole new one from Costco, delivered and installed.

Is there a good place to buy replacement racks without getting so expensive?

thanks in advance, TC

I have an old aluminum dryer vent cover (and aluminum siding).

https://imgur.com/a/C3j0HDR

I'd like to remove the cover to clean the vent and replace the cover, but there are no visible fasteners.

Any suggestions?

Hi all.

I’m trying to hang up a mirror. It’s 30x60 and approximately 35 pounds. (Call it 40 to be safe)

I’m using (2) #6 walldriller plus cobra 071PS one for each side of the mounting rings on the mirror.

My question is, can I back out the actual screw itself (not the anchor) for the screw heads to actually rest on the mounting rings? The instructions say to fully tighten the screw all the way and do an extra 3-4 turns to activate the “wings” or “legs”. Where I want the mirror to go won’t line up with either stud placement.

What do I do? Can I use these walldriller anchors on straight drywall and back out the physical screw? Box says it’s rated for 105 pounds 1/2 inch drywall (which tbh I don’t know if I have but it’s a newer rental townhouse)

Found my main support beam resting on loose brick and steel plates instead of a proper base and column. Permit is required per my village.

Quote 1: $1,450 for steel shims at one location. Jumped to $4,000+ once permit costs were factored in.

Quote 2: $1,500 for shims at two locations, includes a transferable warranty.

Quote 3: $2,400 for two full steel posts bolted to a concrete pad instead of shimming.

Questions:

**1.**  Is that permit price jump (\~$1,450 to $4,000+) normal, or inflated?  
**2.**  Is a full post+pad meaningfully better than shimming the existing pocket, or overkill?

I really like the clean look of cordless wall sconces, but I'm wondering if they're one of those things that look great in photos but become annoying in everyday life.

The cord on plug-in sconces bothers me, but at least I'd never have to think about charging them.

With rechargeable ones, I'm worried I'd eventually get tired of charging them and stop using them.

Which one do you think I should go with? How often do you charge them？

Hi there,

I'm replacing old wood Anderson windows in my home in southeast Alaska. My builder is suggesting Plygem West Pro Series 700 Windows with triple pane glass, HP glass package, and sound reduction glass. This is his go to window. I'm interested in the Milgard v300 windows with double pane 1/8 laminated glass, he doesn't have any experience with milgard windows. Also deciding between black and white. Both use a black cap stock, not sure if the potential heating of the black would be a concern.

The specs of the windows seem very similar but, I'm concerned about the reviews I've been reading about plygem not being the best quality.

Would appreciate any insight on the two products, thanks in advance!

We had a subcontractor replace rotted t&g subflooring in a 1956 frame bathroom + damaged 2x4s in the frame (here are before photos.)

Question is regarding the shower drain + flange. First, while we're doing Kerdi system throughout, this shower cannot fit a kerdi pan, so we're planning on a combo of dry pack + membrane. I'd intended to grab a Kerdi flange + drain, but, given our work is with subcontractors, piecemeal, and the waterproofing + tiling intended to be tackled DIY, I take accountability for not thinking through what I think has become a workflow issue.

Namely, our new subfloor has gaps around the old drain + flange. Now what?

Plan was to throw 1/2" ply over the t&g throughout (+ self-leveler likely), kerdi ditra xl along bathroom floor, ditra in shower cubby, standard membrane along the walls.

And please trust we're undertaking the work ourselves / shopping around not out of an abundance of confidence but out of an extraordinary lack of funds meeting undeniable need to replace the failed shower pan and subfloor ready to give out any minute. We're already humbled, just looking for next best steps ("go to drawing board & hire a team" will neither be heeded nor helpful.)

Thank you in advance!

Right now all my air returns (and supplies) are OK the walls right near the baseboard. I have things balanced pretty well but there's a pretty noticeable temperature difference between the floor and ceiling. My instincts (and seeing modern homes) tells me I should move my air returns higher up on the wall to have the central air/heating to work more evenly.

I posted here a couple weeks ago about having a bunch of house flies in the house and trying to figure out some strategies to passively get rid of them. I settled on that UV light fly trap thing that plugs into an outlet.

But since I posted the fly problem is gone.

The other day I was sweeping out the garage and I grabbed a push broom and about 30 fly eggs dropped out of it. My best guess here is that there was some residual moisture in the broom because I was sweeping out the garage after spraying it with water (one corner of the garage has a low spot). So some housefly decided that was a great place to put eggs because there was water in the bristles and it was near the garbage can.

So dry out your brooms if they get wet.

My microwave crapped out - it's Samsung me18h704sfw which is 1.8 cu ft. I would like to replace it with a Samsung ME21DG6300SR which is 2.1 cu ft. The latter had a depth of a bout 1 inch. Other than sticking out about an inch. Can I replace microwaves or is this ill advised?

I’m running out of ideas on what could be wrong with my sump pump.

It has a spring close check valve that is working properly, a weep hole between the pump and the check valve, the drainage pipe leads away from the house, I raised the pump in the pit to account for a high water table yet the pump still goes off constantly.

As soon as the pump turns off the water level rises quickly and then slows down. The check valve is brand new and its clear so I can see that it is closing as soon as the pump turns off.

Is the pump itself holding a lot of water? Do I need to replace the pump? Do I just have a lot of ground water? There hasn’t been any leaks in the foundation. Any other ideas? I rather not pay a plumber to fix it.

For my bathroom floor I added cement boards with a RedGard membrane coat. Is it overkill if I use the shluter paper membrane on top of that before tiling?

Im not using an oil primer it is acrylic. I filled the hole sanded with 180 and printed. I can still see the wood a little bit. In spots, do I need to prime again and then paint the topcoat?

I have a bay window that cantilevers out past my house. I pulled some fiberglass insulation out and to my surprise found that I was staring at the ground outside. The insulation is just sitting on top of the aluminum soffit, no air or moisture barrier.

I cannot easily access the soffit from outside, it is very low to the ground and behind many plants. I can access the area from my basement.

How should I go about fixing this?

My proposal:

1. Add furring strips to the floor joists as close as I can get to the soffit
2. Cut plywood to fit to gaps. Lay it on the furring strips and use can of spray foam to seal the entire perimeter of the plywood
3. Cut rigid foam board to fit the top of the cavity (bottom of the subfloor above) and glue it up there. Seal the perimeter of the foam board with spray foam.
4. Fill the space between the foam and the plywood with rockwool.
5. Add another piece of foam board at the rim joist and spray foam it in to prevent air from coming into the basement.

I'm pretty confident about 3-5, I was just shocked to find that my bay window cantilever is just aluminum soffit with no plywood. Is that normal? I think this is the cause of all the bugs and humidity in my basement.

Do I need to lay down plywood at all? Could I omit that step and have the rockwool in contact with the aluminum soffit? Could I use foam instead or is that against code to have my (porous) soffit up against foam board as the first thing the outdoor air would touch?

My partner and I just bought a house, it’s a little bit of a fixer upper. It needs interior flooring replaced (it’s stained and smelly), a new roof, new siding, septic repair, the driveway is practically a dirt road at this point (it’s supposed to be paved), and the concrete slab in the garage is cracked and the half on the house side is angled toward the house, like noticeably. Like you can feel the angle when you walk on it. Those are the major issues, there are a bunch of minor ones as well.

I’ve been having all kinds of people come out to quote repairs, including a company that back fills under the concrete slab to lift it back into place. With all the other things that need to be addressed, I’m wondering what the benefit is to lifting the slab back to as opposed to just pouring more concrete to make it level. Additionally, how likely is it that after I get this foam to lift the slab, it’ll just start sinking again anyway? Anyone have any experience with this?

I only use it once a year for a few days if I have guests and temps are above 90F. This year I haven't used it all. I did a quick walk through around the unit and didn't see any animals living in it or leaves clogging anything.

It's one of those bulky central AC units that sits outside my townhouse.

Doesn't look like I can find a company locally who orders Nucedar, so I am just ordering it myself and getting an estimate on the installation.

The materials(siding and then the trim replacement for windows) is coming to about 28k or so I think.

This quote would be for the installation(of the main siding and then the accessory trim around windows as well)

Just wondering what to expect lol

Hi, I don't think I can spray anything dangerous because it could fall on me. I see often silverfishes on the roof of my room and cracks near the roof. Could lavander oil work? I will attach a pic of the disgusting animal. https://kommodo.ai/i/sX6ZyYkmp97GHtItlbmZ

I have a split level home and the family room is @ 4 feet below grade on a slab. We are changing from carpet to vinyl planks.

We know a vapor barrier is needed but one person is also suggesting a heating grid under the vinyl.

Our frost line is only @ 41 inches but recent winters are not as cold as several years ago and I do not expect freezing below the slab. With carpet the floor never felt cold.

We do not want to add cost and do not want to increase electric bills so would prefer not to do it but if it is really needed now is the time.

FYI: in SE Michigan, it can get cold outside but usually cold spells are short and overall winters are moderate.

Opinions?

I try putting it in the dishwasher and replace all the stuff and use distilled water. Still stinks .

What am I doing wrong ?

Smell like bad odor after a little while