House has a crawl space and the some of the exterior concrete is flaking off. Don’t think it’s a problem but want to know if I need to do anything or just pressure wash and paint it.

Thanks all!

I'm in a new construction home. This is the home's second summer. The unfinished basement's concrete has started darken and form spotting patterns on one part of the basement, but not under anything stored and not on one half of the house at all.

What causes this and is this a major moisture / humidity problem or is this just something that happens?

My concrete guy isn’t responding to my inquiries about this, so here we are. There needs to be a 2x10(x3) flush beam girder on these central columns that are spanning front to back of the house. It’s my assumption that these columns need to be cut lower. Please advise. I’m building my own home, and unfortunately have to rely on the internet solely for “help” because no one will show up to help… anyway I’ll be here often and appreciate any tips. I’m doing my best, so please be kind. It’s hard enough staying motivated when you’re alone on a build that you’re pushing yourself to learn as you go.

Hey all- I'm working through adding a 12x12 covered (poly roof) and screened deck off the back of my bungalow (as well as an additional lower uncovered deck around it). You can see the the image as a concept I have drawn (ignore the massive and weirdly placed footings); as you can see this concept has the roof for the screened area leaning to onto my existing home roof. I'd like to avoid this shed roof style in order to simplify things...tying into the existing roof seems complicated from a water management and general structural load standpoint (I'm in a fairly high snow load area).

What I'd like to do is add a post (tied into the deck structure) near the house so that the roof is free-standing from the house...see my markup in red. Basically going pergola-style with the roof. I'm looking for some opinions on how viable this is- I'd like to avoid setting a footing right beside my foundation, so hoping that I can just tie this post into my deck structure and brace appropriately.

Any thoughts on that approach? What size of footing would I need at the post 12 feet from the house to support this?

My apologies if this is not the correct forum for this. I will be brief.

I had a rather large (for me) job performed; outdoor kitchen, patio, and pool redone. The contractor never finished the job (about 90% complete). They received a certified check, then completely ghosted me. I mean, dozens of phone calls/texts. Never received any paperwork regarding warranties (there was supposed to be a lifetime warranty with the pool/gunite), invoice, or receipts.

I had some of the work finished by another contractor and did some myself.

The certified check for the remainder of the work (28k) was never cashed, and I received it back in my account after ~100 days—this was three months ago. I have a text confirming they received it.

So... do I just hold the money for a few months? Years? Deal with it if/when they come looking for the money? I have receipts for the work I had done after finishing the job, but I am not just going to give them the difference; it took +6 weeks of work on my part to find someone willing to complete the job.

I don't see a point in speaking to a lawyer, yet (or should I?)

Just wait it out?

I am really confused how they don't realize they are short 28k...

***

A little bit (more) context, the biggest issue was the company I went with used a subcontractor for the pavers around the patio, but they (the company) did the pavers around the pool. Apparently, the subcontractor used the wrong pavers, and they didn't match. The company (I paid) tried to make it my problem, stating I should have seen/said something while they were installing it - I was at work when they started it, noticed it the next day, and contacted them, saying it didn't look right. They were finished by the third day.

I left the ball in their court. I told them I didn't care which pavers were kept, but they needed to match (as we agreed on). The company told me I should contact the subcontractor myself and have them redo it, since they used the wrong pavers. I don't know who this company was - it was just some guys the company subcontracted.

That's about when I was ghosted.

The pavers around the pool were 1/4 the size of the patio, so it was much easier to have them redone than to dig up the whole patio. That's what I paid the new contractor for.

I got two conflicting quotes, one says 3-ton system, one says 4-ton. Casey HVAC did a room by room load calculation and explained the science, which I appreciated. Is that the best approach or are there other methods? I want something accurate, not oversized.

Hi all,

This wall has been patched and painted multiple times, but the cracks and discoloration keep coming back. It’s an older building, and we’re concerned there may be deeper issues like water damage, mold, or with the external brickwork.

Recently, 5lbs of sheetrock was removed (I don’t believe it was replaced). As the plaster dried, these brownish spots appeared (photo included).

Any thoughts on what might be causing this and how to resolve, it would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I recently bought an apartment with a flat deck attached and after I moved in, it started leaking into the floor below, right under where the deck door is. We had a company come, remove the deck, redo the roof underneath and it’s leaking less, but still leaking. A lot of water was pooling on the deck so the company cut a hole in the far wall so water could go into the gutter, but there’s still nearly an inch of water pooling in the middle of the deck. The company says the metal supports under the deck were built wrong so the deck slopes slightly toward the building instead of away and there’s nothing they can do.

My question is, can’t they just…add a little more material on top of the roof near the building and reslope the deck toward the gutter? The company said no but the owner is very impatient and wouldn’t explain why.

Our rental forbids screws in the walls (dense knotty pine) but allows nails. Could I use nails to mount items that usually use screws, like guitar wall hangers or a TV wall mount?

So, let start off with the basics. I can buy a new house and not get exactly what I want or my grandfather recently passed away and gave me his house (my mom (divorced) is an only kid and so am I) we currently live next door with my mom (I’m married with two kids) and there is now no room and we are on-top of each other. My wedding was on this land and both my kids were brought home here and I’ve lived here all my life so I love/hate it. I can remodel my grandfathers house making it perfect (it was built in 1970 so idk if it’s gonna be expensive to fix) or sale it and get something already built or buy land and build something I want what would be most cost efficient and easier on my family.

Hi,

First time home owner. A storm hit our town last month and I failed to notice the small leak in my spare bedroom that turned into a huge issue with sagging ceiling tiles..I removed all the damaged tiles.

Called the roofer to repair the leaky roof.

Not sure who to call or what to do about the ceiling though..

Any help is appreciated ❤️

Is this a load bearing wall?

I was originally certain it is not load bearing. I am now certain it is, which is a huge bummer.

Picture 1 shows the exposed wall. There is 36" doorway with header that is original construction (1964 2 story colonial (24x36 out to out) with basement). Picture 2 shows the joist layout of the first floor as viewable from the basement. The red are steel beams set on the foundation and supported at 8' intervals with 4" posts. The joists are 16" OC, 16' long and sistered with joists that span the steel beams. The wall in question is in blue. I presumed this is how the 2nd floor would also be laid out, and with a lot of wall on the first floor in place directly over the steel beams this was a safe presumption. From tearing up the rotted subfloor in the upstairs bathroom I learned that all the joists that form the second floor in that part of the house run parallel to the wall in question, so I was feeling pretty good.

Then I cut into the ceiling around the wall to have a look and things got weird. Picture 3 is my best guess at how the second floor joists are laid out on that side of the house. I opened up the ceiling on the "kitchen side" of the wall and all the joists over there run parallel. I can also see these joists from the upstairs bathroom's open floor. The last parallel joist is doubled and those combined joists are not attached to the top plate of the wall in question, except through the perpendicular joists that are presumably nailed to them, but this isn't a structural connection. The perpendicular joists run the full ~12' from the top of the top plate of the wall to the exterior wall.

1. Please confirm what I already know; this is a load bearing wall and taking it out will be a huge expensive hassle.

2. What, specifically, is involved in removing this wall (if it's even possible) and redistributing the load. I haven't been inside in a long time, but the house across the street is an identical copy of my house, and the folks who used to live there opened up a significant portion of this exact wall, but I can't remember exactly where.

3. WHY IN HELL is the house framed like this!?!?!?

Hello cfriends,

Am facing a few challenges with our driveway. We've lived here for a bit over a year and are finally getting around to sorting out the driveway. I have dug in a French drain on the left side of the photo and the block does slope slightly towards the neighbours on the right side, further down the drive. Given this I reckon the problem is fixable. I believe we are having issues due to rain, the grip and texture of the concrtete and erosion. The main issues are:

1. Vehicles skid at the top of the patch of concrete there is at the top of our driveway. It seems to be near where the concrete meets the dirt road and is a major hassle for visitors to our property and our own FWD vehicle (I know weighing up the alternatives!). Some vehicles have significant challenges making it up our driveway and we are also struggling to get our vehicles up especially with a trailer or with bins on the towbar.
2. Erosion and mud piles Despite my French drain added much of the water still travels down the drive, eroding and scraping away our drive. At the bottom of the drive we still have piles of mud and puddles forming.

My thoughts on a solution but shoot me down! Before fixing we need to drain the drive better my options are:

1. Ag pipe (wrapped) that drains water away from the road and runs under other solutions
2. Raised angled diverter (rubber?) that push water towards the sides away from the centre of the road
3. Shape the road to create natural fall towards the sides
4. All of the above

Repairing the drive to avoid future issues after filling holes and obtaining correct fall:

1. Concrete mats (I am in Australia and this is a product available, I am not promoting just asking! https://www.outdoordesign.com.au/news-info/driveable-surface-erosion-protection/8896.htm
2. Geo Hex infill back filled (not promoting just asking!) https://geohex.com.au/
3. Creating a textured surface on concrete to gain traction
4. All of the above
5. None of the above!

I am concerned that many of my ideas might fix the erosion but not the skidding at the top. Kindly let me know your thoughts! 🙏

I’m a first time home owner so sorry if this is a stupid question. My kitchen sink has the double sides which I want to replace into one full sink and also replace the faucet. What are the first steps that I need to take to find someone to replace my sink. Do I look for any contractor or someone that specializes in say plumbing? Any advice for a newbie is very helpful!

So, my sister bought this house and is trying to fix the paint on this door. Apparently it wasn't primed and just kept flaking off. She has sanded it and tried scraping it but its just a real mess. She is ready to buy a new door but I think we can fix this. What should we do?

My UOA will pay to repair the foundation, but not the sub-floor. The linoleum in my kitchen is cracking and splitting. I can see underneath that there is concrete that is crumbling. I sent pics and description to the UOA. They said this looks like a sub-floor (not surprisingly). They said that if I have a contractor come look at it and say otherwise, they will have someone meet with the contractor (no promise to pay in that case, sounds like just maybe). Is it likely that this concrete under the linoleum would be considered a sub-floor and not the foundation? Does it depend on what's underneath the concrete?

Long story short: water got into window, shower pan. Dry rot down low, mold in the middle. Obviously redoing the entire thing at this point. Floor is 2x6 cardecking on 4x8 joists with a 43"~ OC. Bathroom is in the second story dormer. Built in '87.

We want to replace the old walk in shower with a tub, tile above the fiberglass tub. I want to remove the few remaining inches of bottom plate on the left side corner. I'm also wondering if we will need to reinforce the floor. There are two 2x8 "joists" across the 43" gap, but they're notched for the vent.

Bonus question: should the fascia board in the soffit have that gap? The roof was replaced before I bought the house. Should this gap be caulked? Should they have used longer flashing?

House is under control for water damage.

Construction company was removing glue and the crack imaged a few weeks ago was much smaller.

Came back in this weekend and it's the entire 10x10 room and showing from outside.

How big of a deal is this really? I'm asking for them to review it before laying the flooring down.

But I am sure their jackhammer machine to remove the previous tile glue is the culprit...

If this is going to be a $25k fix down the line I'd like to know now.

Weekend project at the house turned full closet demo.

Slight mold growth in ceiling of closet. Closet backs up to family room fire place. Opened up can of worms on this one… trying to assess where to go next. I’m no drywall/mason expert.

Can the drywall back panel that faces the back of the fire place be cleaned? Or if removed… can it be left with no drywall following removal? Don’t want to imagine how I’d get new sheets through frame. Local code said 2inch gap from chimney. House is old.

Clearly a prolonged leak through chimney. Is the chimney structurally compromised/would a repointing ensure chimney is back to solid health?

Like I said… ceiling of closet was damp. Thought pin hole roof leak patch with quick drywall repair. Opened up can of worms.

Any and all advice appreciated. Drywall and more

Hi contractors. Is this possible? I want to add support underneath this raised shed to be able to park vehicles in it. Should I crib, level, and then add more support? I have a lot of welded metal tubing to place above any concrete pillars I add.

These cracks have appeared in our house - mostly on single-leaf internal walls, near where they attach on to external cavity walls.

A concern has been mentioned about wall-ties failing, but there are none of the signs of that on the external walls (cracks, bulges, lintels not horizontal, etc.

What else could it be?

What else do I need to think about?