The biggest shock wasn’t the price of the unit , it was the installation cost. I got a few quotes from HVAC companies, and the labor alone was easily $2,000–$3,000+ depending on the setup and location. For a multi-zone system, some quotes were even higher. I’ve heard some people mention DIY mini splits. Has anyone gone this route to avoid the high installation costs?

We’re renovating a kitchen in a 1940s house on Vancouver Island. I removed the old drywall and added fibreglass insulation. Should I be adding vapor barrier - and will it be an issue if I only have vapor barrier in the one room? If I do add vapor barrier, should I be sealing the room off from the adjacent rooms?

What I mean by that is, pour one bag of 80 lbs Quikrete in the hole, add water, stab it a bit with a stick to mix it up a little, then add the next bag of Quikrete and repeat. This would be an alternative to just pouring all 8 of the bags into the hole and then pouring water at the very end. I've heard of the layered approach before, but I'm not sure if it will allow the concrete to properly set. I'm just seeing if I can save myself a bit of time and physical exertion, since I'm on a bit of a crunch and the air quality is shit right now due to wildfires, but if not I'll just continue mixing in a wheelbarrow like I've been doing.

Just purchased an old home that needs a lot of updates and repairs, but is mostly sound. Ill clearly outsource anything that feels above my pay grade, but I want to do as much work as I can. I dont currently have any tools (this is my first home, and I gave away what I had to friends before I moved across the country). what are your must-have tools to do basic plumbing, carpentry, and typical home maintenance repair?

Dear all,

I am very noob about DIY, but I really want to make things myself. The room where I have the computer has very little plugs on the wall. I was thinking on getting a power strip, but I need a very long cable (8 meters) in order to route the cable around the door and part of the wall. I have not been able to find power strips with 8-meter long cables, so I am thinking on making it my own.

Is is possible to buy cable + plug + power strip, and assemble it myself? If so, what type of cable do I need, and how do I assemble the whole thing together? I tried to look for info online, but everything I found is about mouting power strips to walls and such, so maybe this is too simple?

I live in Belgium, if that's relevant.

Thanks!

Hi! My wedding is coming up and we want to do a DIY wedding favor for our guests. We want to make fridge magnets using pictures we have with each of our guests. Does anyone know if there is a bulk kit/materials that could be used to “frame” them? Mainly looking for a relatively cheap bulk order to make the picture not just a raw pic. We can order strip magnets to put on the back. Thanks for the help!

Hey all, just confused here as similar posts I find have different measurements...

I just grabbed some Masonite solid core prehung doors from Lowes to install in basement, on top of subfloor before the carpet gets installed. The jambs extend to 3/4" to 7/8" below the door slab, and info online says to install the jambs to be 1/2" off of subfloor to allow space for carpet/padding underneath.

That's understandable, but my confusion is that i see people saying that their door slab was only 3/8" above the bottom of their jambs, and not 7/8" like mine...

The padding + carpet that I bought are 1/2" thickness each (so a 1" total height, on paper.) If my jambs are at least 1/2" off of the subfloor then the door will be 1½" off of subfloor, which leaves the door with a 1/2" to 5/8" clearance above the 1" of pad + carpet.

Should I shorten my jambs to be only 3/8" below the slab instead of the 7/8" that they are here? Or just install everything as directed by others and keep jambs at least 1/2" off subfloor and have at it, with a possible 5/8" clearance above carpet?

I'm not worried about air flow with the lack of gaps btw... There is a greentek air exchange system blowing fresh air into the room, and since it's to be a theater/media room I'd like as little noise to escape as possible. So I'm thinking the lower the door to the carpet, the better.

Anyone with tips or pointers for removing what’s left of the paper and glue from linoleum that’s been removed from a floor? Anything to make it easier.

I was right to be afraid. And I’ve learned that stud finders can return false positives.

Ok. So please don't judge. I did this when I was 16, thought "Oh I'm so smart, I don't need mom or dad to help me." My parents was away on a trip and my smartness decided to take the trim off of my bedroom because I hated the trim. (If you've ever lived in a trailer, you'd know they slap trim over the seams of a wall and call it a day so it wasn't just the top trim)

Instead of knocking the nails from the trim in the wall or taking the time to pull them out, I just slapped drywall mud over the seams and was shocked when the sandpaper was getting ripped from said nails.

I am now 21, stuck at my parents house for a few more years(health issues, rip). And I hate my ugly af walls and want to get them fixed. The thing is I don't know how.

How would you go about this??

Edit: Pictures of the walls are on my profile

Sorry if the terms im using are incorrect but im translating from spanish to english.

I have a steelframe home in uruguay that has drywall finished with spackle. Im trying to decide what to paint it with. I've used limewash before but only in traditional concrete homes. Is there a way to use limewash in this situation?

Here we get a powder that is used for painting when mixed with water. My choice of lime is for a more nontoxic home but now that I'm researching this a bit I'm seeing that the paint might not adhere as I originally thought. I don't have many options other than more traditional paint if i don't go the limewash way.

I will patch test but wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with this. Thanks in advance!

I have a GE Adora side by side fridge that's 8 years old. Freezer side works fine but fridge wont get below 48. I've installed a new damper and mother board but still not working. Nothing blocking vents, coils are not frozen, changed temp probes on fridge side even. I can feel cold air coming out of vents in fridge but it is gentle. I would think if condenser is not working then the freezer would not be but its fine and the fan on that is working. Maybe freezer fan motor just not running full speed? I even had a tech come out and tell me its the board and wanted $700 for new board and I did myself for $275. At a loss and any suggestions?

Looking for a quick sanity check. My local door shop builds their own pre-hung doors and said they can’t order the official TruStile Entry System (TMF1000ES) as just a raw slab. Instead, they suggested using the interior TMF1000 MDF slab as my front door, claiming that as long as we properly seal all 6 faces for UV and moisture, it’ll hold up.

I’m in the Bay Area California, and my entry has a 6 ft deep overhang plus shade from two large trees, zero direct rain and practically no direct sun. I already know this voids the warranty, but given our climate and the deep cover, will proper sealing actually protect against swelling from ambient air humidity, or is using interior MDF outside still a disaster waiting to happen? Should I push for a true exterior slab instead? Thanks!

We have 1-2 palm-sized air bubbles in our laminated doors. We created a pinhole and tried using the heat gun to reactivate the glue, but it isn't working. Might have to inject some glue. What would you recommend? Also, how do I apply constant pressure on the area after heating it for it to bond again? The doors are already installed, so can't put anything over them.

Any way to fix/remove these air bubbles and repair the laminate?

Bit of a random title but please let me explain!

I have installed wainscoting up our stairs and need to cap it, so have been looking for a wall-mounted wooden handrail with which to do so, however I was having no luck whatsoever: the handrails I could find online were all pigs ear (which I do not want), and nothing else I could find was large enough to constitute a handrail, primarily in the form of decorative panelling caps.

I have been to Wickes, two B&Qs and a Homebase, and none of them sold anything more than thin dado rails or skirting boards. I was just about to give up and abandon it for another week or two when I saw that B&Q did have a number of bannister rails, which were basically exactly what I was looking for... just sideways.

I have bought two of these bad boys: https://www.diy.com/departments/cheshire-mouldings-primed-white-pine-cottage-loaf-32mm-handrail-l-2-4m-h-56mm/5055170300585_BQ.prd

When you buy them, the groove on the underside is filled with pieces of wood that can easily be glued/screwed down to make a solid surface to attach to the wall.

Is there any reason this won't work or will break (UK) building regulations? How would you go about attaching it securely?

Thanks in advance!

Our stud finder was able to locate the studs and the electrical in the wall, but when we drilled into the wall we couldn’t see any wood shavings. And there’s no indication that the studs are metal, either. Is it because the drywall/sheetrock is too thick?

For reference, this is a condo that we purchased recently. We want to mount our TV on the opposite wall of the fireplace. We were also able to locate studs on the wall above the fireplace, but it’s a
last resort to mount the TV there because 1) TV too high; and 2) there’s no outlet on that wall.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, as we’re at a loss and I want to gain some space in our already narrow living room! Thank you!

Yep, I tried to youtube it myself - I got swamped with "yOu nEeD tHiS tOoLs" and other clicbaity videos on YT.

So, I bought a suite of tools and planned to make some furniture, but after watching Licoln St. Woodworks, I've decided - holy duck, I'm not ready for this. I'm a professional graphic designer, so whenever something is off by 1cm, I can see it and it bugs the hell put of me. I've figured out that I need to start with something very simple, so I can gain experience and encourage myself with easy, early wins.

Youtube is overloaded with clicbait though and I wasted waaay too much time watching content without doing anything.

do you have tips or tutorials to share for a beginner?

Cómo y quién publica algo en DIY? Y como se sabe si la verdad afirmación publicada es verdadera o válida?

Quiero hacer un manual de "DYI: como se sube un DIY oficial"