Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [design]

146 questions
17
votes
7 answers

What is the optimal configuration of a cross brace on a wooden gate?

I'm building a wooden gate for my deck, and I want to put in a cross brace to reduce sagging. I want to install the brace so that it transfers the load from the top unhinged corner, to the bottom hinged corner. I'm just not sure what the best way…
Tester101
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3 answers

Should rooms be designed to minimize waste of sheet goods?

We are building a new home and I want some guidance on recommendations for design creating minimal wastage and maximum efficiency for the builders. For example. Are room sizes best divisible by 4 since sheetrock is usually 4 x 8. Same way with…
Yourguide
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10
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2 answers

How should I configure my plumbing with PEX?

I have a house built in 1940, which has a mix of copper, PVC and galvanized pipe for its plumbing at present. I am going to be gutting the upstairs bathroom in the near future, and have access to most of the rest of the pipes, giving me an…
The Evil Greebo
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9
votes
4 answers

Can a stove be beneath a window

I'm upgrading my kitchen and after endless deliberating, feel that the kitchen is best laid out having the stove directly beneath a window (the window is about 8" above the stove). I was wondering whether there are any huge reasons why i should…
Justin Lawrence
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8
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7 answers

What should I use for a sandbox bottom?

I'm building a sandbox for my three-year old. It will probably sit on the deck, so it needs some kind of bottom. Ideally, we should be able to move the sandbox around the deck. Is it necessary for water to drain out of the sandbox, or will the…
Vebjorn Ljosa
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8
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1 answer

Help me retrofit a closet in this room

Here is the floorplan of our master bedroom: Being a 1940s house, the closet [lower left] is woefully small at 3' x 2'. I'm thinking about a way to expand it. The obvious answer is to build it out along the length of the left wall, but there are…
toddsonofodin
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2 answers

Why does home siding not extend to the ground?

I have noticed that the siding of single family homes in Colorado, at least my made-in-the-70's neighborhood, does not extend down to or into the ground. Why is this? Why not have siding (vinyl, brick, stucco, etc) go into the ground? I seem to…
PipperChip
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2 answers

What are the best practices for a low deck built half on a concrete slab?

In our current place, we moved the main access door from going into the kitchen, to entering an old laundry room converted to a mud room. In order to do so, the front door was moved over about 4', and off the existing concrete patio. The bottom of…
MarkD
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12 answers

How to scribe a circle in the ground...without access to the middle point?

I want to mark the ground with spray paint and wooden stakes in a nice 25 ft radius circle. The simple way would be to drive a narrow stake in the ground at the center point, tie a 25 ft string to it, and drive the stakes anywhere the string is…
Village
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6
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Is a hexagonal house feasible?

Recently I have been considering the economics and feasability of building a house versus buying a used one. In my design I settled on a hexagon as the logical shape for the frame, which I am considering for masonry construction. This would be a big…
Tyler Durden
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7 answers

How to hide HVAC compressor?

We are trying to make our side yard look aesthetically pleasing. The HVAC compressor cage is an eyesore, as shown in pic below (the gutter were only temporarily removed for painting). What can we do to hide/make it look better?
Lyza C
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4 answers

How can I calculate the load capacity of a platform?

I'm planning to build a very basic bed frame, but I'm not sure what size lumber to use. I was thinking of building the entire thing from 2x4s (legs would be 4x4), but I'm not sure if this will be adequate. Some other ideas: 2x6 Perimeter with…
Tester101
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1 answer

Should I form and pour the concrete all at once?

I want to build a dog kennel/run that is 4' x 8'. I am planning on pouring a 4" concrete slab. However, part of my design is that I would like the slab to have raised edges all the way around it (except for an opening for drainage). Should I form…
Programmer
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Can I use a 6 foot long table as the base for a stand up desk?

I am looking to create my own cheap stand up desk. My current idea is to take one of the cheap $40 6 foot tables where the legs fold up and buy 4 plastic crates to put on the corners of the desk which will hold a piece of wood the same size as the…
Theron
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How should I lay my engineered flooring to account for a hearth?

I'm scratching my head over how to layout some new flooring in relationship to our walls vs. hearth. This is an engineered floor with somewhat wide boards (about 4.5") As it happens, I could lay them out and not need to rip any of the boards as…
DA01
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