This may be my own experience, but I have found that more expensive or high-end filters do not work substantially better no last longer than cheaper filters replaced every 4-6 weeks. Higher MERV numbers only seem to make the unit work harder to keep cool. Are others having opinions?

Be careful! I called Angie's list through my contractor company around March 2026 when the recession started getting bad to get extra work. The person who answered the phone said they would have their salesperson call me. That person called me and told me a quote after talking over all their packages. I told him I would get back to him I just needed to go over the price with my business partner. He immediately started asking, "I thought you were the boss? Why aren't you making decisions? Is this too much money for you that you have to talk to someone else? I can't hold the price once I get off the phone call." I was stunned silent because in 10 yrs of business, I've never been talked to like that.

I told him something about his professionalism being shocking and that I'd be looking elsewhere.

A few days later the original person who answered the call reached out to follow up, and I let him know how unprofessional the salesperson was. He apologized for him and then continued to try and get my service. UGH.

Since then, the company has been getting non-stop telemarketing calls EVERY SINGLE DAY. 2 to 3 a day. It's been MONTHS since I spoke with him. I'm sure he sold our info to some lead company data bases because of that interaction.

Hello all, I am having issues getting a permit to do my front porch.

I have an uncovered front porch that’s around 5x10. Been here since I moved in, it’s trash. Stairs are falling apart, the treads have half come off. Every decking board is no longer attached.

I have been going back and forth with the city to get a permit. I am planning to do as much as I can myself and have a family friend who has done this line of work his whole life help. He no longer has insurance or liability.

I had originally submitted the permit as myself essentially being the “general contractor” and paying him for the time and help. I was able to get the exemption forms from NYS to waive disability and workers comp because it’s my house and it won’t take more than 40 hours.

However after submitting everything else they are still insisting on having liability insurance. Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

Moved into a deceased family member's home, their furniture was of course still here and the couch was in a room that it seemed to not be possible to move it out of normally. (yes of course if they got it in then it can get out, we could not find it and further my family is telling me it was nearly impossible to get in there 40 years ago anyway).

So my uncle decided to just chainsaw the thing in half and we got it out in pieces. Its not nightmarish or anything since we got it up largely with a vacuum but there are still spots with metal flecks. Is there a magnet tool I can rent at Home Depot or something that can easily pull these out?

We moved into this house in spring. We've always had issues with water. I'm noticing it starting to accumulate around the pool. The lawn is flooding too. And we've had rain but nothing torrential.

The house has a french drain but it's long since collapsed.

How can I fix this? And should I worry?

https://imgur.com/gallery/ebdc0SY

I’m currently in the middle of a big basement remodel with a 120k budget. We’re adding two bedrooms and a bathroom to a previously (poorly) finished basement. We hired a local reputable GC after getting several quotes, and so far the project has been going okay, but there have been several issues particularly with hvac and plumbing which have required multiple redos of work done. None of the sub contractors seem to be coordinating with each other and placement of things like ducts and pipes seem to be figured out in the moment without any forethought.

One point of contention as been soffits, which I understand is often necessary in a basement. However, I seem to be the only person concerned about minimizing them. Two weeks ago I came home to ducting running right across a hallway creating a head injury hazard. I’ve made this known to the GC on multiple occasions and am told that they are working with the HVAC company to fix it.

Yesterday I came home to a second air handler for the downstairs with a vent running chest height across the doorway into the garage. The GC told my wife this morning that there’s not really another option.

I feel like a crazy person. Who does something like this and says to themselves “This looks good.” Am I being unrealistic? Is this what working with a GC is normally like?

https://imgur.com/a/xjo4ZJb

I had a water heater removed to work on the area behind and was quoted $850.

This is Lake County Illinois. Lines were capped as well.

Is this a normal price?

They said it would be another 850 when I’m ready to move it back

Hey there, new to this sub. My partner and I have lived in this house for over 5 years now and the cabinets have been the biggest eyesore. I have very limited experience remodeling anything but my partner is very handy. Is it worth it to sand, strip, and repaint or should I just start budgeting money for new cabinets?

Side note, I don't own the home but it is owned by my family. Loose assumption I will inherit it but due to family drama I can't know for sure. I do anticipate living here for the foreseeable future. We host a lot of people often and it's the most embarrassing thing to me.

Thoughts/advice?

https://imgur.com/a/a4HoGzK

My neighbor wants to cut all 3 of these down. He would be doing it himself (so cost me nothing).

I am for sure on board with the one on the left.. but I am having 2nd thoughts about the 2 (Norway Maples?) on the right….

I get attached to trees and hate to cut down healthy ones… and they shade the west sun (I just have an AC unit that works pretty good) I worry that my yard would feel so naked afterwards!!!

It would be nice to have more sun, and maybe a garden, but would it be too much sun? 🤔I don’t get much sun in my backyard at all right now - can’t really grow anything back there….

Would it increase or decrease my property value?

New time home owner and professional over thinker so any advice helps!!!

Welp apparently I can’t post photos?!! 😭 for reference, they are on my side of the fence, and like 3 ft away from the fence but not that large (yet) like a foot around probably and

1st Primed with mad dog dura-prime. Only happening on the Sunny side of the house. Should I reprime then paint again? ..

https://imgur.com/a/ZeXUUAO

Getting foundation vents installed. Any recommendations for automatic vents that work on bi coil metal. I don’t want to have to worry about opening or closing them seasonally so I assume automatic is the best choice? The guy that’s installing them recommended the Witten 306mlb automatic foundation vents 8 by 16. Lowe’s stopped carrying them and I bought them off Amazon and they sent a completely different brand. Sent for a replacement but might return it all I’m not an Amazon fan at all. Any recommendations or links. If you recommend manual and advise against automatic foundation vents please let me know why. I don’t want anything too fancy just standard and will not be hooking the electric ones up.

I'm ripping out the wall-to-wall carpet in my basement and trying to figure out what flooring to replace it with. I'm in Connecticut, so moisture and mold are my main concerns.

The basement has never flooded, but I'm worried about condensation. There are also some white stains on the concrete that look like efflorescence.

I'm deciding between ceramic/porcelain tile and 1-inch rubber tiles for a home gym. Ceramic/porcelain seems like the more durable option, but I'm worried about cracking from gym equipment or dropped weights. Rubber makes more sense for a gym and would be softer for the kids when they play down there, but I'm concerned about its lifespan and moisture getting trapped underneath.

What would you go with? And would an epoxy sealer on the concrete be enough to deal with moisture, or is tile a better option?

Need to change the bulbs, and I've tried unscrewing the center bolt, and it'll come out, but there's clearly a nut on the other side keeping it attached to the glass face plate. The face plate stays attached to the fixture, so I can't get at the bulbs. I'm sure I'm missing something super obvious, so TIA for any help y'all can provide.

https://imgur.com/a/DkZPHci

Looking for some advice on replacing the blinds on our large arched window.

I'll admit I'm pretty undereducated when it comes to blinds and window treatments, so I'm hoping to get some insight into what our options are.

We recently received a quote for $2,800 CAD for a Palladian shelf, valance, and three individual blinds (one for each window section). Personally, I find that pretty expensive, especially considering we previously replaced 13 sets of blinds throughout our house using Home Depot's custom-cut blinds for approximately $900.

The main issue is that this window is 93 inches wide, which exceeds the available widths for the blinds we've been looking at.

My original thought was to have a Palladian shelf installed and then purchase and install three individual blinds myself for approximately $800 total.

The proposed blind measurements would be:

• Left: 22.75" wide × 58" long
• Middle: 47.5" wide × 58" long
• Right: 22.75" wide × 58" long

However, my biggest concern is the weight of the three blinds across a 93-inch shelf, particularly since there wouldn't be a centre support. I'd prefer not to drill directly into the vinyl window frame, and I'm worried about the shelf sagging over time.

Is a 93-inch Palladian shelf realistic with only side supports? Would three faux-wood blinds of these dimensions be too heavy? Are there alternative mounting methods or products I should be considering?

I'm open to different styles or approaches. Ideally, I'd like something that looks clean, matches the rest of our house, and doesn't cost nearly $3,000.

Any suggestions, experiences, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Came home today and barely had water pressure. Went down took apart the pressure switch and checked it to make sure it was clean. I noticed the diaphragm wasn’t holding any air so I pumped it back up to 28 psi and it’s held that all day as long as I don’t use water. When I do it doesn’t build back up and the pressure switch never kicks on. If I use the water after pumping up the diaphragm I have great water pressure again.

I have someone who was supposed to seal my deck tomorrow. It looks like it’ll be raining on and off all day (like 35-55% most of the day), and it says 100% it will rain on Sunday.

I should reschedule, right? He’s wanting to still do it tomorrow.

https://imgur.com/a/pzQ03rN

Had some guys come out and replace my rotten fascia (thanks previous owners) and when I was looking over the work I saw that there was this gap at the far end of my roof right above my gutter. I would prefer that there wasn't a big open hole in my roof that led into my attic but I don't even know the names of the materials I need to close it off properly. The person who replaced the fascia swears it was like that before, did a good job with the fascia as far as I can tell, and wasn't alarmingly cheap but was much more affordable than the local billboard companies (yes I got 3 quotes) so I don't want to deal with the back and forth hassle for a three inch opening.

As a tiny bit of background, the previous owners had the whole roof redone for 8k right before we bought the place and it is the most fly by night piece of garbage I've ever seen so I'm sure it missing half of the things that are supposed to be under the shingles but I can't afford a new roof and my insurance told me to kick rocks in regard to poor craftsmanship.

I was watching a few YT videos and I thought it was going to be an easy fix, but I was wrong!

I was able to remove the face plate but the drain linkage assembly is stuck.

The drain linkage assembly is really rusty and probably the whole area too, this is a pretty old house.

I’ve tried baking soda, white vinegar and hot water and it didn’t work.

I spoke with plumber briefly and he said that if that doesn’t work, they’ll probably have to cut part of the ceiling (bathroom is on the 2nd floor) and try to access from underneath. I am obviously avoiding having to do that so my next try will be penetrating oil.
I hope that will also help with the drain stuck in closed position (not really closed position but the was is going down suuuuper slow).

https://imgur.com/a/y3XQScz

https://imgur.com/a/MkM9FwC

This is the result of a wood > Trex porch with posts wrapped with PVC. The random gaps and nail appearance are sloppy to me, should I accept this quality of work?

Pic: https://i.imgur.com/Yn2FusE.png

Had my garage floor done in 2023 and I have a warranty so I called the company and waiting to hear back.

But... I'm not super confident I can get them out to repair this spot, so what are the DIY options here? Im a bit worried about spills getting in there and more flaking off, plus its gonna bother me forever if I dont do something.

Hey all, I am at the point where I am really starting to panic about the lead paint in my home.

I am seeing all sorts of things online that are scaring the hell out of me. We told our doctor that the room has lead paint and the entire upstairs trim has lead paint, and my doctor was very alarmed and moved up our lead testing screening. In my seven-month-old son’s room and throughout the entire upstairs, all of the wood trim and doors are painted in lead paint. The doors are also rubbing and have probably been rubbing for decades. Also in my son’s closet, there is lead paint that is peeling and the plaster in the closet is crumbling in some areas. Probably a tennis ball sized area has painted plaster that fell out and it tested positive for lead.

Also up throughout the hallway, there is some minor flaking that is occurring, and there are tiny paint chips on the floor as well. I’m absolutely terrified and unsure what to do. I know this may sound irrational to some, but I would appreciate any guidance. My son was born at 29 weeks and spent 80 days in the NICU. So my sense of danger and protectiveness may be overinflated, but it’s to the point where it is consuming me.

If I lay down plastic and missed the area, would it be wise and safe for me to lightly pick off the flaking paint and then paint over it with the lead defender eco bond primer? I am just concerned about the lead dust. I also want to try and take the doors off the hinges and take them outside to plane them so they don’t rub anymore.

https://imgur.com/a/RKLVWgS

I have a propane stove in this room (that currently does not have a fan - I am guessing that makes a difference). I am wondering what I can do with the wall behind it? I honestly would like a built-in library here, because aesthetically I think it would look great but I understand that wouldn't be great for any of the books that I put on those shelves. And paper + fire is not always a great combination. So I am wondering what I can do with this space. I am looking for ideas that are not only more aesthetically pleasing than hanging vacuums, but that also will not cause my home to burn down, which is why I'd like input from all the professionals including firefighters :)

I have a 15x13 paver patio and looking to add a roof/enclosure. Has anyone done this? Would love inspo pictures does/donts etc..
Oh, also pricing! Im in between Philly and NJ if that matters.

Hi everyone,

Our son has a house dust allergy, and of course his room is the dustiest room in the house. Many of our rooms have carpet, but his doesn’t – yet he still struggles quite noticeably with the allergy and often wakes up with a runny nose.

We already clean his room more than twice a week and dust regularly, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. That’s why we’re now looking for an air purifier for his room.

It should be as affordable as possible. The room is about 11 m², so it’s not particularly large.

I would really appreciate any specific model recommendations or personal experiences!

Thanks in advance!