TL;DR - Foundation repairs left dirt on side of house that is in neighbor's yard. Neighbor wants dirt to be leveled and her rock garden replaced, but I've been told that the dirt needs to stay as it is. Can the dirt be redistributed without ruining the foundation repairs? If not, is there a way to level out that area without adding a bunch of dirt?

Full background: I had my house's foundation repaired, as well as some other house work, all coordinated by my uncle helping out. The foundation repairs required the workers to dig around the perimeter of my house. This left about 1ft of dirt around the skirt of the house, sticking up from ground level by about half a foot. I'd been told that this is normal.

The problem is that the right side of my house's perimeter is within my neighbor's yard, so the workers needed to access her back yard in order to work on that side. However, in the process, they had dug up her rock garden she had laid out in front of her patio, which consisted of a layer of pea pebbles, weed barrier lining, and brick stepping stones.

Drawing of how our houses are laid out: https://imgur.com/a/3mtlDOp

Because the dirt stands higher than the rest of her yard, the neighbor wants the dirt to be leveled out, and have the lining and pebbles replaced. I asked one of my uncle's workers if the dirt could be moved or redistributed, and they said it could be. I offered to redistribute the dirt on that side to level it with the yard and to replace the lining and pebbles with Home Depot supplies, which the neighbor agreed. I scheduled some days that I'd come over and had just bought the pebbles and lining last night.

Come today, my uncle tells me that the dirt actually can't be moved and needs to be left alone so that it can over time settle naturally and level itself out (apparently the worker didn't know what he was talking about). I've messaged the neighbor that I can't move or level out the dirt and if that would be a problem. I'm currently waiting for her response. My uncle is being rather abrasive and is basically saying to tell the neighbor "tough luck."

What are my options here? My neighbor was concerned about water pooling up in her yard due to the height difference with the dirt. I'm still planning to lay out new weed lining and replace the pebbles, but the unleveled dirt is now a problem. If I need to leave the dirt alone and keep it unleveled, what should I tell my neighbor?

EDIT: The reason I posted to this sub and thought that my uncle's claim that the dirt can't be moved had any weight was because of this old post I had found:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeImprovement/comments/eg066c/foundation_repairedwhats_with_the_dirt/

A number of comments on this post were saying that leaving the dirt like that and letting it settle is common.

Hello everyone, I've got this empty corner In my backyard thats 10x12 ft, and Im looking for some ideas on what to do with it.

Right now Its mostly grass with wooden fencing on two sides, Its just wasted space at this point and I would love to turn it into somewhere I can relax after work or spend some time on weekends.

I've been considering a few things like a small seating area with string lights, a fire pit or one of those portable wood fired saunas like Sweat tent and I like the idea of having something I can use during the colder months too but I dont want to get into a huge construction project.

One thing Im trying to figure out is what to do with the ground, I would rather not leave everything directly on the grass especially when it gets muddy after rain, I thought about gravel or some basic pavers but I amm not sure which would be easier to maintain.

Ideally I would like to keep It fairly low maintenance and avoid pouring concrete if possible.

What would you recommend for a space this size?

We're under contract on an older home that needs a lot of remodeling, and we got a (expected) positive test for asbestos in the ceilings. Personally, I've lived in a lot of older buildings and I'm not particularly freaked out about living around asbestos, if the material is in good condition and not becoming airborne.

The county/state I live in doesn't require any abatement at all--what we do is up to us. But we're planning a pretty heavy remodel, so if we're going to remove it, now is the time. We had a contractor out who quoted $15k to remove both ceilings, about 1,300sqft, with proper safety equipment, permits, and disposal.

I don't love the look of popcorn ceilings, but it's not a deal breaker. If just painting the ceilings well would mitigate the risk, I'm probably ok with that. But our general contractor suggested another option of just covering the ceilings with an additional sheet of gypsum, to create a nice clean ceiling. I don't know the cost on that yet, but it should be substantially cheaper than $15k.

What would you do if this was your house?

Having a issue where water is pooling up in a window well or two. Only a small stream is running into the basement. I got quoted $5600 for a company to come and dig along the outside of the foundation under that window and put a window well drain into the drain tile. Then rebuild it all back with nice pea stone and such. I may be not used to the pricing but does that seem reasonable? Or is this something I might even be able to do my self?

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They are flat aluminum frames with an integrated flange that sits 1–2 mm proud of the wall (pic attached).

Has anyone successfully cased over or wrapped profiles like these? What’s the cleanest, most durable solution without messing up door clearances?

Thx!!! https://imgur.com/a/m7On9Nz

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Edit: typo/spelling

I'm moving into a new place and the kitchen has some weird stuff going on with the tiling. The current backsplash, which continues down to the floor behind the floor cabinets/counters, stops about a foot in from the end of the counter (which I am planning on replacing), but the wall space with the missing tile is flush with tile next to it. I'd like to replace the "backsplash" tile and have it stretch the full length of the counter, but I'm unsure how difficult this will be. I am not using a contractor, but am planning on hiring a tiler. Will they know what to do here? See images here.

(Also, should I worry that replacing the counter will reveal a bunch of broken or blemished tiles behind that ugly laminate lip?)

I’m looking to purchase ceiling fans for my new home. I am looking for a fan that can have the fan and light each wired to a separate wall switch while still having a remote rather than pull strings to control fan speed. The only fan I can find is the Hampton bay morland but I don’t like the look of that. I want just a simple, modern, matte white fan. Any help appreciated, thanks!

As the title says I'm currently renting a place that has no fan in the bathroom. Not a huge deal as the bathroom is tiny but there's NO airflow throughout unless we open the window that sits in the shower. Talked to the landlord and he's cool if we wall mount a fan since he's not exactly planning on installing a ceiling vent fan any time soon. If we wall mount a fan in the corner will that at least help with airflow more than nothing? If so, any reccomendations on what exactly to mount? Right now I'm planning on corner mounting a wall fan above the door but I am not the handiest guy around.

Edit: Forgot to include, window being open year round is not an option as we are months away from below 0 temps

We hired a local masonry contractor to replace our failing front stairs. We’re the second owners of the flipped house (yes I’m aware this an example of why flips are terrible), and the risers were separating from the treads. The scope of work had the company rebuilding stairs around this existing footing (which now seems wild)

Now that they’ve demoed the stairs, I’m shocked by the full on void behind the stairs under the foyer. That space is next to our crawl space but should it be completely empty like this? The scope indicates adding new flashing, but does this space need to be filled in first? I know this is an obvious newbie homeowner question, so my apologies to the experts.

Pics of demo here: https://imgur.com/a/L1MFav1

Hello! I fixing up my basement, there is a considerable bit of dust that collects around the perimeter of the basement, it mostly falls from the crack/gap between the wooden header board at the very top of the cinder block basement, where it meets the brick wall above.

It it ok to use spray foam here? put up some boards? It's an 1940's brick house.

It is not termite frass or other insect debris, more like dust and old masonry particles.

Other solutions ?

https://ibb.co/DHNb52z4

I'm going to be renovating my bathroom but have no clue where to start. This is the master bathroom that I share with my wife. We want to turn it into something more modern and fun (new vanity, lighting, tile replacement, shower replacement, etc). Is anyone willing to lend a helping hand and share thoughts on design and renovation?

Let me know how would you approach this project?

Bathroom Images:

https://imgur.com/a/hEjgMTC

https://imgur.com/Ei5suOv

https://imgur.com/YCEd6sO

Appreciate the help - Thank you!

One, photo is my natural stone sink, I want to hire a professional to clean it and seal it I guess, I want it to to keep its natural look as it was prior to moving in. What do I ask for?

Two,
This is my doors, they don’t open… should I replace the door completely or can the bottom be saved? What should I ask the professional for?

Edit::

https://imgur.com/a/IsIgoH4

Hey guys - I have a Superior brand hydronic boiler that has stopped working. The pipes leaving the boiler are completely cold, but the circulator pump housed right next to the boiler is very warm to the touch. The motor seems to be seized or failing to move the water.

Do I have to replace the boiler or can I fix it - it’s about 30 years old

Hello, my current HVAC system is in a mechanical closet in my garage. Right now it is closed with two bifold doors which have louvers. I am getting my HVAC replaced and the technician said in order for the county to pass its inspection, I need to replace the doors with ones that have gaskets all the way around and fire rated. The current doors measure 79"H x 71"W. I have looked at Lowes and Home Depot. Can someone point me in the right direction of a supplier?

Hey Redditers need some help!

I own a (small) co-op apt, and I was told a while ago that I needed to get a permit to replace a bath tub. Instead, I was advised by multiple neighbors that my non-drama options are to either reglaze the porcelain tub or use bathfitter (acrylic lining I think)?

Reglazing the tub seemed like a more sensible and cost-effective option. However.... I was informed that the fumes are so strong and potentially toxic for animals. That's problematic, considering a cat will be around - not to mention I am also asthmatic. I ended up backing out in the last minute 7 years ago as a result.

I was then looking at using bathfitter to just cover the tub itself (not the walls). But then that, too, seemed problematic. If I were to ever redo my tiles, then the liner's "lips" may end up getting destroyed.

So here I am now with a tub that still looks like it went through a world war. I am trying to figure out if anything in the last couples of years has changed as far as tub-only restoration goes. Are there any other options besides reglazing and bathfitter for such a thing? My tub is very old (from like the 1950s I think). It's not even a modern standard size, so trying to replace it is very costly and not a solution. Is bathfitter really a bad option for this, too?

Appreciate any input!

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I found someone to replace my front porch, he got started right away, I paid him half, as per contract, with the rest after finishing. He did about half the work, and now has stopped showing up. I called him to try to find out when he will be back, and he basically got angry and hung up on me.

The work he did so far is good, but he obviously has plenty of other jobs that he thinks are more important. Yesterday he showed up with his helper, talked on the phone for 20 minutes while she stood around, did 10 minutes of work, then left her there and said he'd be back. No new work was done, she basically killed time while he was gone, then he showed up 5 hours later and picked her up and they left.

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About three years ago we updated our 1970’s kitchen; new tile backsplash, painted cabinets, and replaced the countertops with a composite board and Spreadstone countertop finishing kit.
We had a carpenter do most of the remodeling but I (F70) did grouting of the tile, painting the walls and cabinets and the countertop surface. Everything looked great but over time the countertop finish started flaking off around the kitchen and bar sinks. I scraped, sanded and reapplied the countertop base, stones, and clear finish again in those spots. So, here I am again with flakes around the sinks. Obviously this countertop finishing kit is not waterproof. I am so careful and wipe the water up ASAP but it has still flaked. My question is: 1) did we use the wrong type of countertop base? 2) Is there a better countertop finishing kit?
We used Spreadstone. It has a base coat, a stone coating which gives it the appearance of granite, and a clear protective coat. I followed the directions exactly. I need advice on what to do to fix this. Thank you.

Hi all!

My husband and I bought our first home last year. Because new homeownership, naturally, we quickly ran into a big unplanned structural expense that wiped our budget for the smaller projects we’d planned to do in year 1. The highest priority project we had to postpone is flooring. Nearly the entire first floor of our house is carpeting.

We’re NOT a carpet family. It’s just the way it is. It’s a great choice for some people. Not us. The carpet is driving me crazy.

My question, is have any of you ever ripped up carpeting without immediately replacing/laying down new flooring? If so, how did you make it work? Is there a good in-between option that would allow us to get the carpet out and live for a few months until we can get our new flooring? I thought about possibly getting everything prepped with primer and self leveling concrete, then sealing it until we get flooring. Is that ridiculous? What other options are there?

I know this is kind of a dumb request because you’d think to just make it work until we’re ready to do the whole shebang. But I’m super desperate to be rid of this carpeting, and I’m willing to live with a somewhat ugly temporary option as long as it’s easier to keep clean than this damn carpet. Desperate enough that I’m willing to ask people much smarter than me a dumb question like this. Lmao. Thanks in advance for any advice and/or expertise!

Hey all,

Just wanted to check myself a bit here. I typically do most home improvement myself but my wife and I recently decided to replace our countertops in the kitchen in August. First time dealing with a contractor. We got multiple quotes and decided to go with a well respected local company. We put a 6k deposit down on Aug 24th, they came to do measurements, my wife went to pick out the quartz slabs a couple of days later. When they did the measurements we were told by the gentleman performing the measurements that it would be 4-5 weeks until install (estimated). Well, here we are on Oct 21st, 8 weeks later, and they’ve been radio silent. I’m total understanding that things come up, projects can drag on. However, they have given me zero updates. 2 weeks ago I reached out, they said they would get back to me, nothing. Same thing last week. I just want some kind of update from these people. Am I being unreasonable? Whats the best course of action at this point? Any insight would be great.

New here! Curious if anyone went through Menard's for steel roofing and what route I should go. The missus and I like the charcoal black for the color, but I'm struggling with choosing Pro Rib or Premium Pro Rib. Our house is in northern Minnesota where the winters can get very snowy, which was why I figured steel will shed snow pretty well on its own. I'm also under the impression that the pine needles (we're surrounded by tall white pine) degrade shingles faster. Is there any concern with a dark color degrading too quickly? Or with standard pro rib being too thin? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!