DIY Home Improvement, Remodeling & Repair Forum

Haven't seen one of these threads here. Today I will be playing golf and fighting off a cold at the same time, should be fun.

Haven't seen one of these threads here. Today I will be playing golf and fighting off a cold at the same time, should be fun.

Brought this up in another thread but decided to make one dedicated to it. I had gutter guards at a previous house, same type as a friend had on his house: essentially a metal grate screwed in place over the gutters. My friend and I had the same problem: The guards did not work, and merely resulted in clogged gutters that could not be accessed for cleaning. Is there a type of gutter guard system that actually works? This type looks promising but I assume there must be some huge problem... Read more

Brought this up in another thread but decided to make one dedicated to it. I had gutter guards at a previous house, same type as a friend had on his house: essentially a metal grate screwed in place over the gutters. My friend and I had the same problem: The guards did not work, and merely resulted in clogged gutters that could not be accessed for cleaning. Is there a type of gutter guard system that actually works? This type looks promising but I assume there must be some huge problem... Read more

We have a pantry with a light fixture in it with a swinging door. I'd like to add some sort of door sensing switch to it as we're often accidentally leaving the light on in the pantry with the door closed. The light fixture is on the ceiling about 3-4 feet distance from the top of the door. What is the proper method to add some sort of magnetic sensing switch to the door/frame, and the route the wires to the light fixture mounted against the ceiling? The largest question here is how... Read more

We have a pantry with a light fixture in it with a swinging door. I'd like to add some sort of door sensing switch to it as we're often accidentally leaving the light on in the pantry with the door closed. The light fixture is on the ceiling about 3-4 feet distance from the top of the door. What is the proper method to add some sort of magnetic sensing switch to the door/frame, and the route the wires to the light fixture mounted against the ceiling? The largest question here is how... Read more

Property: Mid-50s home, Los Angeles County. Issue: Rear perimeter CMU wall (wholly owned) leaning 12–14° into the neighbor's yard. Potential Factors: A stump from a mature Schefflera in the right corner. A 35-year-old orange tree (1' from rear wall, 10' from side wall). A former large tree on the neighbor's side (right corner). Questions: Tree Removal: How likely is it that the orange tree must be removed to rebuild the wall... Read more

Property: Mid-50s home, Los Angeles County. Issue: Rear perimeter CMU wall (wholly owned) leaning 12–14° into the neighbor's yard. Potential Factors: A stump from a mature Schefflera in the right corner. A 35-year-old orange tree (1' from rear wall, 10' from side wall). A former large tree on the neighbor's side (right corner). Questions: Tree Removal: How likely is it that the orange tree must be removed to rebuild the wall... Read more

Thanks in advance to whom may read. I recently received 2 quotes from spray foam insulation contractors. I live in Maine, older house, circa 60's. I plan on having the basement box sills sprayed. My question has 2 do with the 2nd floor/attic/roof It is a 2 floor cottage style house. The upstairs has a void adjacent to both rooms. The rooms are insulate, however in the void however there is no insulation in the rafters. Was this a common thing do have a designated cold area? On the... Read more

Thanks in advance to whom may read. I recently received 2 quotes from spray foam insulation contractors. I live in Maine, older house, circa 60's. I plan on having the basement box sills sprayed. My question has 2 do with the 2nd floor/attic/roof It is a 2 floor cottage style house. The upstairs has a void adjacent to both rooms. The rooms are insulate, however in the void however there is no insulation in the rafters. Was this a common thing do have a designated cold area? On the... Read more

I am looking for some advice and guidance on repairing rafter tails home prior to a full house exterior painting. This is the first of quite a few projects which will be required to be able to get a good final aesthetic after painting. This rafter tail was repaired previously. You will see the gap in the middle. I was not able to find this style of repair recommended anywhere online. This picture shows what I found once I removed the previous repair which consisted of untreated pine two by... Read more

I am looking for some advice and guidance on repairing rafter tails home prior to a full house exterior painting. This is the first of quite a few projects which will be required to be able to get a good final aesthetic after painting. This rafter tail was repaired previously. You will see the gap in the middle. I was not able to find this style of repair recommended anywhere online. This picture shows what I found once I removed the previous repair which consisted of untreated pine two by... Read more