Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [renovation]

170 questions
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4 answers

What determines "old work" vs. "new work" during a re-wire project?

My Home Depot Wiring 1-2-3 manual (2000) says the following about DIY re-wiring projects: It's possible that some of the wiring in your home fails to conform to current regulations. That's usually not a problem as long as it conforms to the rules…
Syntax Junkie
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Why were the screws set in pairs in my drywall?

I'm currently removing a wall that separates my kitchen and living room. 1/2" drywall on 16" o.c. studs, typical. What I found to be strange was that the drywall was fastened with 2 drywall screws placed 2 inches apart, in pairs about every 18" up a…
BigLake
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4 answers

How can I finish the frame of a hidden door without using trim?

We are renovating our house and we have a door in my office that is going to conceal a small bar. It's supposed to be hidden so we are planning on wallpapering over the door and using a push-to-open latch. It's modeled after this design: Anyway,…
d512
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How to deal with the stress of DIY renovation?

I've done a few DIY projects over the years and over time it starts out as fun and exciting and then it detoriates to stressful and not so fun. Our latest project was to redo our basement. This involved basically adding a floor to our house. We…
Jon Raynor
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Which way should a door between the garage and basement swing?

Looked everywhere for proper answer. We have a 2 car garage attached to the basement. This house is old, built in 1968, we purchased this 2 years ago and were renovating here/there. We just finished got the wall replaced (fire-rated) also vents…
sgkdnay
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1 answer

How much drywall should I cut to re-route some wires?

I am just looking for advice on how much drywall to cut to move some wires. There's a wire in the ceiling that has incoming power, and a switched leg for the light in the entry way, and another wire coming out of the wall (exterior light) that I'd…
gregmac
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How do electricians quickly choose electrical box sizes?

I've got my copy of "Electrical Wiring: Residential" 18th ed, complete with all the information, tables, and formulae for choosing electrical box sizes, but I've got to imagine that experienced electricians aren't spending 10 minutes per box…
the_meter413
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Is there a quick, non-intrusive way to see what's under vinyl siding?

Currently house-hunting, and one of the very cheap, in-need-of-work houses I've looked at has the unusual feature of a foundation-to-ceiling limestone wall inside, on one of the outer walls of the house. It's the rightmost rowhouse in a…
JeanSibelius
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3 answers

Should I extend my house upward or knock down and build from scratch?

I want to expand my house upwards by adding another 1000ft2 level. I'm told that knocking the house down and build from scratch would be easier than dealing with all the issues. In my area I've been told construction costs 200/ft2 which would be…
Peter Q
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What is the purpose of this steel pipe lagged to the stud in this dividing wall?

We’re looking to open up a wall that separates the kitchen and living room. The wall doesn’t reach the ceiling, currently has a 3ft doorway. The house is a single story slab on grade located in SoCal. Wall ends about 6 ft from the ceiling. Upon…
ItWorkedInSolidworks
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3 answers

Using new lumber in an old wall with larger lumber dimensions

I am trying to widen the doorway to a room in a house that was build in 1905. the framing is 16 on center, however the lumber is wider than a standard 2x4. by about a 1/2 inch. (the actual dimensions of the wood are 2x4). I can position the…
John Pfleger
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2 answers

Do I need a hydraulic jack to do main beam jacking?

I am planning to do some minor jacking of the main beam of my house (two stories with a lot of furniture and books) and some of the joists in order to correct a sag of about 1/2" and replace old "timbers" (literally tree trunks) with concrete lolly…
Tyler Durden
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Why would a short cause the main breaker to trip instead of the branch circuit breaker?

In our home, we have two electrical panels. One main panel (in the basement) and a sub panel on the first floor. The lights to the kitchen on the first floor run to a breaker in this sub panel. We installed a dimmer incorrectly and accidentally…
user15817
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What does a vent stack look like?

Excuse my noob question, but what does a vent stack look like? It's pretty easy to tell which pipes are for waste (I can hear the water running through them), and I'm assuming that all of the pipes with a cleanout are waste as well, but not sure…
2 Left Thumbs
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How do I renovate these walls to be smooth?

My skill level: Complete novice The walls in my apartment are quite old, and I would like to renovate them and make them smooth and modern, Similar to the walls in this article at The Spruce. (sort of) I'm guessing the easiest option is to just put…
o01
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