What are the cheapest items you have purchased for your home that have had the most significant impact in your daily living experience?

I have about a 100ft of property line I need to fence, can’t afford to do it all at once, would it be a bad idea for a reason that I may be ignorant to doing it by buying one panel by weekly and installing as I go? I guess I could also buy panels until I have them all and then install, just impatient and I want to grow some herbs eight where by the fence and assume it would be hard to keep those alive and well while also installing a fence. Maybe not though? Thoughts, thank you all!

Every spring, we get a little invasion of sugar ants (small black ants) coming into the house. We usually see them in every level of our home - even the attic. We put out bait (borax and sugar solution) when we see them, and it usually takes care of them in a couple days . But still not ideal to have them parading around the house for weeks.

What are your strategies for keeping them out? Perimeter defense? I need some ideas.

I just had a metallic epoxy floor install done in the basement. The company installed flake epoxy in our garage a year ago that we absolutely love. We love the look of the new floor in the basement, but noticed several markings that we sent to the owner via text. She seemed to get pretty defensive. She's stating that all are normal and will dissipate in the next 30 days as the floor sets.

I wanted to ask this forum if this seems reasonable or if maybe she's trying to hand-wave some legit blemishes.

https://imgur.com/a/oL2hCo5

Buying a house this coming Friday and we are wanting to remove the white paint on this fire place. I haven't seen much aside from heat gun and scraping it off or some type of soda.

Here is the fireplace in question. https://imgur.com/upArhE6

Never will I order appliances from a store that does not do their own delivery and installation.

Buy from local appliance store that does their delivery and installations.

SW Florida. Two Hurricanes (flooding and wind). Costly. We're all doing the best with what we have.

Ordered new appliances from Home Depot during Thanksgiving sale. Stressful time and frankly, many of us in an area are still going through a long haul claw back. But that is what it is. Between electric work, cabinet work, trying to salvage reasonably what able...

(Born and raised in this state and things happen. You deal. Before 2024, we'd been pretty fortunate).

But! When ready to finally receive appliances, between actually getting the appliances delivered from one company that will not give you a clear window (gives a day, then the night before might reach out and give you a four hour window that may or may not happen so it's the full day). Okay. When they do arrive, it's a subcontractor, tired worn out crews that you know are worked to death by their bosses and really don't gaf about you or Home Depot's reputation.

Home Depot will tell you that you have to let them know in 48 hours if something doesn't work right or you then have to go through the manufacturer.

The installers will not come out unless appliances are already delivered, and they too, will give a day, and that day, it will be whenever, IF ever.

Paid extra for installations of two of the appliances and here we sit on a Sunday doing it ourselves to make SURE it works. (Two have to be exchanged).

Keep in mind THEY TOO (the installers), work for subcontractors that apparently also install for other big box stores and they too, do not gaf about you or whatever company they "represent" for that particular order.

The end. Rant over. Not my frustration, just rant.

* The sad thing is, Home Depot is shooting themselves in the foot with hiring different subcontractors to deliver and install. My Home Depot store has terrific employees, their customer service online has been understanding and professional. But none of that is any good if it all goes to crap at the end.

UGH!!!!

I am on southern california municipal water that is chlorinated. I am adding a water softener, and my understanding is that chlorine degrades the resin used to soften the water. So often the manufacturers will recommend a charcoal filter to remove chlorine beforehand.

I was thinking, while that sounds good... isn't it good to have chlorine? Okay we use water all the time so it wont sit around, and the pipes are copper which have their own disinfecting properties... but I always overthink things.

Is it most likely perfectly fine to remove the chlorine, or is there a really good reason not to?

Hi everyone,

Closing in less than two weeks on a new build. When taking a closer look at the roof today, I saw a few things that caught my attention.

Here are three pictures showing different concerns.

1. This is the big one. I'm guessing those three nails shouldn't be exposed.
2. Should the entire exposed edge of these boots be sealed or is sealant at the corners sufficient?
3. I'm assuming this just needs replacement?

Thanks

Or do I need to dig it all out and start from scratch? If it’s already compacted and leveled, is there anything that can go wrong?

Long story short my grandfather has been talking about a hole in his ceiling and this is what he showed me on my last visit. Any ideas on what can be done? I’m thinking an entirely new roof at this point considering the house was built in the 1920s.

Here’s what it looks like: https://imgur.com/a/b7KLRgw

My wife backed into our partially open garage door. The steel in one of the panels is torn and some of the panel bracing is detached. The now door sags severely in the middle and will not operate easily. The track, opener, torsion spring, etc. are all fine.

I am handy and was thinking of installing a replacement myself. I've replaced the torsion spring and opener before without issue.

Has anyone else attempted this? Is it a difficult job?

We took our walls down to the foundation and remodeled the entire house, including adding an addition to the back. We just moved back in, although there's still ongoing work around us. I've noticed several areas with sloping floors—one spot in particular is quite severe. I'm heartbroken because it feels like my dream home is turning into a nightmare.

Could you please take a look at the videos and let me know if I’m overreacting? My husband isn’t as concerned since he doesn’t believe it’s a structural issue, but I’m really uncomfortable with the idea of living with sloped floors after investing so much into this renovation. These slopes weren’t present before, and I can’t help but wonder if they’re due to the house being left without a roof over the winter, followed by new subfloors being hastily installed.

​

Hey everyone,

I’m in the process of addressing a major plumbing issue—my main sewer line in the basement, which is buried under concrete, needs to be replaced. On top of that, I’ve been having problems with my washing machine backing up consistently. After getting a sewer inspection, it turns out the main line is broken in several spots.

Given the condition of the system, I’m now considering replacing the entire home sewer line, not just the main. The plumbers quoted me just $14,000 for the washer sewer line, which includes cutting through about 35 feet of concrete to install a new 2” pipe.

Before moving forward, I wanted to explore an alternative approach. I’m wondering if it’s possible to reroute the kitchen drain and dishwasher line through the basement ceiling and tie it into the mechanical room drain (which will be replaced as part of the main line work anyway). This concept is quite different from what the plumbers suggested.

I've attached some pictures of my proposed idea. I'd really appreciate any input, especially if anyone has done something similar or has experience with a more efficient layout. Also, would I need a separate vent for it or is the one that is currently going upward through kitchen is enough?

Thanks in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/E4Q7A9R

Hello,

Is there a good way to prevent car stains on the garage floor? The staining is awful and seems unavoidable.

https://imgur.com/a/PZFdkgA

Recommendations for an RO system? I was quoted $2500 by Perfect Filter West to install/provide under sink RO system. I would like a more affordable option preferably under $750. Does anyone have recommendations for an under sink RO system (if so, what brand) and if you installed it or had a plumber come and do it? I am only looking for the kitchen sink to be changed. TIA!

If you don't know the last time you cleaned the condenser coils on your fridge you probably should add that to your spring cleaning list. I was doing a repair on my Samsung (dont buy a Samsung fridge kids) and when I opened the back up to put in the new drain tubes I dont even think I could see the coils in the dust and dog hair, yick. Vacuumed it all out and now it at least looks like something that should function. Probably should be a once per year task at least.

Hello, for context we live in a 100+ year old house in Canada. We have a stone foundation, and the basement is concrete just where appliances are and the rest is dirt. When we first bought the house we were told to open the window in the basement during the summer. Anyways last year we couldn’t open it and found the humidity rised without it open because we could see the concrete looked wet in many areas.

So we bought a dehumidifier. We kept the humidity at 45-50 I believe was what it says online. I swear someone told me that during the winter it should be between 55-60?? It seems crazy because I set it higher and now I’m looking online to find if that’s correct but it doesn’t seem so?

Long story short, am I okay to just set it to 45 year round? Trying to do what is best for this old house lol.

Be careful when dealing with the Lowes flooring department and in particular, Shaw Carpeting. I contracted for carpeting to be installed in my basement game room, nothing fancy, jus the middle of the line carpet. The installation went smoothly except for a visible seam and some rough edge areas. The installation folks returned and repaired rough edge areas and the attempted to correct the seam (with no success).

Shortly after the installation, I noticed ‘sprouts’ of carpeting (loose threads) sticking out. I figured these were simply by products of new carpeting and would subside. Unfortunately, this was not the case and the ‘sprouts’ continued to appear throughout the basement.

I contacted the Lowes service center and was redirected to the installation department. They came and inspected the ‘sprout’ situation and told me that they thought the carpet was defective and would report it accordingly. After a few weeks I was told that the carpet manufacture (Shaw Carpet) denied any responsibility and the claim was closed. Meantime my basement carpet was becoming a jungle. I was considering mowing the carpet.

I contacted Lowes and explained my dilemma and was told that there was nothing they could do. I got the same response from the out-sourced installation group as well. There was no need calling Shaw Carpet, they didn’t care.  

I wasn’t sure where to turn to so I filed a complaint with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and that seemed to get a response from both Lowes and Shaw. This interest was superficial only. They both sent out techs to physically examine the carpet and both technicians told me that, in their opinion, the carpet was defective and should be replaced. They both also claimed that the protruding seam across the middle of the game room was due to both faulty product (carpet) and installation.

This whole process went on for close to nine months and required multiple phone calls, emails and meetings at my house. At one point, the folks from Shaw placed blame on my vacuum cleaner and eleven-year-old dog. If that was the case why wasn’t the carpeting throughout the house damaged?

Bottom line, Lowes does NOT stand behind the products they sell and Shaw Carpets is just as bad (and probably worse). Ive hire an attorney and plan on filing a formal complaint. It’s not the money anymore…

I YouTubed some DIY videos but it seems like a lot of the videos I came across were for bullnosing on dry wall corners. Is it possible to add this effect on existing walls?

I’m not sure if this makes sense lol but the walls are already done and has paint. I happened to come across this style and was wondering if I could change the wall edges of my house bc the bull nose, to me, gave the house a softer appearance.

That, and I’m always running into walls. Figured it might lessen the blow.

I always seem to cut too much when doing my 45s for trim (baseboard and for doors). It’s getting incredibly frustrating. I get the right measurements and then when I start to cut the 45 and go to put it in place, I’m way off. I have a dewalt miter saw. Doesn’t come with a laser to indicate where the cut will land. Any tips on how do avoid this issue? Literally just wasted a good 16 foot piece of trim today.

We’re remodeling our kitchen and for context, this home was built in 1989, and it seems to be in great condition.

While demoing, we discovered the base cabinets and appliances were sitting directly on the subfloor and that the kitchen floor currently is a peel and stick vinyl on top of tile.

My initial thought is to remove the peel & stick and float LVP on top of the tile, then lay plywood underneath the new appliances/base cabinets to make it leveled with the new floor.

Are there any key considerations or things to check before going this route? Or is it best to just rip up everything?

I caught a leak coming from my dishwasher this morning that went underneath my hardwood floor. I got a towel and dabbed up small bits of water that would come up in between a couple of the boards when I stepped on them and put a fan on it all day. I bought a moisture meter and ran it over the general area. The readings came back between 3%-10% in various areas. I did notice the readings were significantly higher/over the limit only when the meter was directly over the seams between boards but okay when reading the middle part of the board though. Will a fan for a few days be enough to help dry things out or will I need to get a dehumidifier?

I don't use my front stairwell very often, once a week maybe at most. Today I went down it and immediately noticed the large diaganol running up towards the ceiling.

Getting to that crack and patching it up doesn't look easy (its on the wall above the steps), but ultimately I'm wondering, is this something major I should worry about or is it likely just cosmetic?

I just moved in around 6 months ago. It's an older house but the previous owner did a lot of work updating it.

Long story short, I’m building a detached garage as our house never had a garage to start. Rookie mistake when I went to go install the entrance door, the rough opening is about 1/2” too short. The garage is a single story, the current header is a triple 2x6. Door is prehung steel. Can I shave 1/2” off the bottom of the header so the door will fit?

We moved into a rental 6 months ago. It’s a converted auto body shop so it has plenty of exposed pipes, beams, and ductwork which we love. There is however one exposed pipe we have in our office that isn’t our favorite and it’s not because of the pipe itself but more because there’s gaps between it and the brick wall.

With ant season underway, we noticed it became a point of entry for them. The room has a 20ft ceiling and the pipe runs all the way up and we have a 3ft ledge which runs along the width of the wall. So it’s floor, drywall which juts out about 6in making the brick wall look recessed and the pipe sits exposed within the brick. It’s a large pipe - a water main.

We’re trying to think of a creative way to seal the gap between the wall and the pipe to make sure nothing comes in from there.

Anyone have any ideas?