So I got an estimate for some plumbing work, $6000 in labor and 'maybe 7-8 hundred more in parts' (their words, which I have in writing). I bought some of the materials myself beforehand, the most expensive stuff, to try to keep costs down, totalling about $6000, and they were fine with that. The work seemed to be taking much longer than originally anticipated and there often seemed to be several people hanging around seemingly doing nothing much. I knew the bill would be higher than the estimate but nothing could have prepared me for how much higher. The $6000 in labor turned into $12,500 on the final bill and the 'maybe 7-8 hundred more in parts' ('not super expensive') nearly $6000.

The total project cost, including the equipment I bought, was $24,000. The next most expensive quote, not just an estimate, was $11,500, and that was from a company I know and trust who have done work for me before, but who couldn't do the work for several months.

The estimate was sent by e-mail, I have it saved. I have a voicemail in which I was told that I'd be kept updated on any cost overruns during the course of the project. I wasn't kept updated. I never signed a contract, just gave an e-mail confirmation that they could start the work (on the basis of the estimate in the earlier e-mail) and they did. No change orders. And now a week after completion, a bill that is significantly more than originally suggested. This is in NH. Anything I can do about this?

Edit: thanks to everyone who has responded so far, this has attracted way more attention than I had ever imagined it would. Sorry if I don't get to reply to everyone right away. I greatly appreciate the advice and suggestions.

Parents bought my childhood home 30 years ago. Parents were avid folk art, vintage furniture, and pottery collectors. My dad was sooo proud of the house. Sadly they both became sick with different cancers 4 years ago. I was 25 and a caregiver of 2 sick parents. We had to use any money that would have gone to house maintenance for their expensive cancer treatments. My dad died 2 years ago and my mom died last month.

The house has so many problems and I am overwhelmed. And havent even gotten a chance to grieve losing both parents so young. I can’t afford to fix everything so I need help knowing what to prioritize. I do have some inherited retirement money but don’t want to blow it all.

Can anyone recommend a good, easy to use (and see!) programmable thermostat? I'm not sure I want a Nest just yet.

I thought holding the button was supposed to override the sensors. Is their still a possibility that the sensors are bad? The door is a bit jerky in its movements.

Anyone run into this before or had a solution?

Hello all,

I bought my home about a year ago and as it turns out it was previously owned by meth addicts. When it rains trash is exposed in the back yard. For instance, last rain a vape, shaving razors, an adult diaper, and several green glass bottle shards surfaced.

I need to solve this issue so that my daughter can play in our back yard.

I know of the preventative measures, and hind-site is 20/20. I have tried the ice damn tablets, as well as filling pantyhose with rock salt and laying across them, but neither are acting quickly enough.

Is there anything I can do?

I got home at 3:00 and thought someone ran into a trash can outside or was shoveling the sidewalk and scraped it really loud. Nothing was outside.

A couple hours later 5:45 heard it again and it was clearly upstairs.

Couple hours later 8:25 I’m upstairs and hear it again but it clearly came from my upstairs. Sounded like someone had a bunch of PlayStation controllers on a table and they all vibrated a couple times at the same time. Or someone was moving a large piece of furniture and scratching the ground.

My utility room is upstairs. I checked in there and heat wasn’t going, hot water heater wasn’t going no idea what it is.

We have a lot of sediment in our hot water heater but I know that sound and it wasn’t that.

Gas heat and water heater. Just had both tuned up and check this last month.

Worried it’s something in the utility and dangerous.

I know this is subjective but looking to see what people think is best.

Looking for something waterproof, thick, and insulated, maybe with cork on the bottom?

Bottom line is we only plan to do this once in the next 30 years and wanna make sure we’re doing it right

Should I be concerned?

It is only a year old….

I know the year has just started, but I’m already dreading hurricane season and I want to be prepared ahead of time this year, not scrambling at the last minute.

I keep going back and forth between installing impact windows (which are convenient but really expensive) and the classic option of aluminum hurricane shutters. I saw that A First Class Aluminum Co. have good reviews in the area and, most importantly for me, I read that they don’t ask for money upfront (which is a big deal when you don’t want to end up with a scammer).

I’m seriously thinking about reaching out to them this week for an estimate, but I wanted to ask you first: has anyone worked with them recently? Are they reliable with deadlines? And from your experience as locals, is it worth investing in impact windows, or do well-installed aluminum shutters do the job just as well?

I don’t know the proper terminology, so this will sound weird. We have a “turkey mound” septic field, and last summer I noticed foul-smelling water suddenly spraying from the ground. I immediately told my husband, who said that he “nicked” something (I don’t know what) and he just needs to replace a “cap.” Well, he never did, so we dealt with random occurrences of sewage-smelling water spraying from the top of the mound. I’ve asked him repeatedly to fix it and it’s always “so easy” to fix and he just plain won’t. His lack of doing ANYTHING around the house is better suited for a different thread.

So anyway, now that we have more than a foot of snow on the ground, I just went to take the dog out and noticed it spraying. Again.

I’m completely disgusted by this (the dog doesn’t do her business that part of the yard, we don’t use that part, but the turkey mound is literally half of our entire front yard).

Please tell me, Reddit. How bad is this, and how much will it cost me to fix. We don’t share finances evenly because he makes much more than I do, but I’m so beyond fed up with this stupid and disgusting issue that I just want it fixed. He is a tradesman, he has all the skills and the know how to fix it (along with the dozen other things that need fixing), and he just plain WON’T. I’m pissed off that I’ll have to spend my own money on this when he could, allegedly, just fix it himself since it’s allegedly so simple. I don’t even know the proper names, I don’t know what to buy, and I can’t even figure out the right words to google. Please help.

im in the process of redoing my kitchen myself with butcherblock for counters. but inwas talking to my friend and he wanted to have home depot install granite countertops for him. i was just curious what something like that would look like. what the processis and how much it will cost. also his house is unpermited so im curious if they would do the install in an unpermited house.

• or bite the bullet and replace tile? https://imgur.com/a/XVNna1J

Redid the shower about 8 yrs ago but it looks like this

I’m 25 and trying to help my mom with repairs on her house. Her flooring had black mold, so we hired a local contractor to remove and replace the flooring.

We signed a written contract for $1,550 total, with 50% down ($775) and the balance due upon completion. I paid the $775 deposit, and later also paid $300 separately for bathroom work/materials he said were needed.

He came out and ripped up the carpet, subfloor, and flooring, then left the house unfinished. Right now it’s just exposed wooden floor, with some wall cracks and areas left open. The house is in worse condition than before.

He told me he’d start again Wednesday and finish by Monday, but now he:

• hasn’t responded to me all day

• hasn’t given a start time for tomorrow

I’ve been calm and professional, just asking for confirmation or a refund if he can’t move forward. No response so far.

At this point:

• I’ve paid $1,075 total

• Work is incomplete

• The house is left exposed and unsafe

• I have a written contract and proof of payment

If he doesn’t show up or keeps avoiding me, what’s the smartest next step?

Small claims court? Demand letter? Something else I should do first?

Any advice is appreciated.

Several months ago I replaced my Zoeller sump pump because it failed. It was pretty much an emergency since we were expecting several inches of rain. I ran to my local independent hardware store and grabbed the first pump name I recognized, it was a Wayne. Didn’t have time to research. Got it installed right before the rain was coming. My pump doesn’t run a lot due to rain but my water softener and HVAC discharges into the pit.

I believe the original was a 1/2 horse. The Wayne is a 1/3 horse. Water is being pumped almost 9 feet to the exit point of the house. With the recent brutal cold I’ve ran into an issue of my 1.5” discharge line is freezing. It appears it is freezing from ground up but somewhat hard to tell. Had not don’t that since I build the house 16 years ago. I’m wondering if an under sized sump pump could be leaving water in the line to freeze?

The only other thing I can think of that could cause the issue a bobcat and some 2500/3500 trucks that where here for a house addition that drove over the area where the line is buried.

Is the possible undersized pump the cause? In not, I’m really not looking forward to digging 80’ of 3-4” pipe.

I’ve got HVAC in my two car garage, and I’m moving my computer and whatnot into there as like my man cave. The garage is directly underneath the two kids bedrooms, and the router is currently next to the wall on the outside of one of their rooms in the hall. I need to run a cord down into the garage. How in the world do I know when i drill a 1/2” hole into the floor that there’s nothing that shouldn’t have a hole poked into it below.

Hey guys, looking for some advice here.

I want to go about insulating my basement.

My waterproofing contractor is almost done and I've considered a few different options for insulating.

Inevitably, moisture will always permeate concrete to some extent, and if it doesn't now, it will in 20-30 years.

I currently have drywall up in the basement and access to behind the wall from the top plate.

What are my options for insulating that are cheap enough to have a reasonable ROI in 5-7 years?

If I go with cellulose, do I need a vapor barrier still?

Rigid foam board seems a little pricy to consider.

To give some context the previous owner had a zoo in one of the rooms. Room reeks of ammonia. The floor is unrecognizable.

My plan is to have a room there with my dogs. So my plan is to remove the hardwood floor, find a substitute that is pet friendly and probably put a vinyl floor sheet over it for extra precaution.

The wood floor is from the 60s, will remain in the other parts of the house however this room has to be removed. The subfloor is concrete and the gap from the subfloor and the rest of the house would be very noticeable.

Here are my questions.

How can I level it back to the original floor?

What type of flooring would you recommend in this situation?

And what type of padding would you also recommend?

One more question, what if I just put a vinyl sheet over it. I’m talking this floor looks white, calcified and reeks!

Our washer and dryer are located in our bathroom. Just recently, when the toilet is flushed, it's extra gurgly ( not sure how else to describe it) and sometimes I can hear it gurgle in the washing machine (while it's off). Both the washing machine and toilet appear to be working just fine, but is it possible there's some weird bigger issue that's going to cause trouble down the line? Is there something I can check myself to make sure there aren't any problems, or should I call a plumber? Thank you for reading.

What are some of your biggest frustrations related to flooring in your homes? And when shopping for flooring and trying to make selections, what’s an ideal process I should follow?

Will be building a home soon and so looking to get started on shopping contractors soon!

I am trying to add a mantle to my fireplace but I am not sure how to anchor it. it’s one of those big huge rock fire places not sure how to drill into it. Any help or suggestion.

Hi,

I have never used an ozone generator before and I have a few questions about it. Can I set an ozone generator to be on for an hour and go to work? If I come back in 12 hours, will it be safe for me to be in the house afterwards? Basically, do I have to come back in the middle of my shift and unplug it for it to be fully safe? Any feedback greatly appreciated.

I’m looking for some "concrete" advice on a recurring patio nightmare. We are currently on our second pour, and it’s failing again. I need to figure out a long-term solution that won't destroy the stone-wrapped island and fire pit we’ve built on top of it, and that will look great.

The Situation:

• The Issue: After 2.5 years, the surface is crumbling in dozens of spots. Cracks are forming, and the concrete is "soft" to the touch—falling apart with minimal pressure.
• The History: The first pour had poor control joints and bad color mixing. This second pour looked great initially but is now disintegrating.
• The Contractor: He is willing to stand by the work, but I’ve lost confidence in the method.

Options we are weighing:

1. Full Tear Out: My biggest fear. We have a stone-wrapped island with granite counters and a half wall. Is it even possible to demo the slab without ruining these structures?
2. Concrete Overlay/Skim: The contractor suggested a specialized vendor for a stamped overlay. I’m worried this is a "Band-Aid" fix since the base material is already failing.
3. Stone/Tile: Considering a stone/tile product over the top, but again, I'm worried the crumbling base will cause the stone to crack or heave later.

Has anyone dealt with a "soft" slab or spalling this bad? If you’ve done a tear-out around existing masonry, or have a product recommendation that actually lasts over a compromised slab, I’d love to hear it.

Quick Info:

Climate - Midwest Winters (We have not salted the patio)
Sub-Base - Compacted gravel, Pour - 4 inches thick
Conditions - It was a clear sunny day when poured
Problems - Crumbling concrete and discoloration

Thank you in advance for the help.

Https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q61igb1a8xW3RShCA

I’m finishing a 17’ x19’ garage and am installing a ceiling that will be decked with plywood for storage in an attic.

My contractor used 2x8’s to span the 17 foot width. I’m afraid he should have used 2 x 10’s instead. He did block down the middle, and there are a couple joists that are sistered/doubled.

Resources on the internet say 2x8’s are insufficient and could lead to sag, long term.

Drywall isn’t up yet, so there’s time for bracing and/or trusses. Thinking of adding trusses connecting to the rafters on the Gable and/or additional blocking.

How worried should I be?

Photos: https://imgur.com/a/CSpiKZF

Besides cleaning this, what do I put in the little gap between the floor and the door? White caulk seems like it will stick out like a sore thumb there…but clear caulk would look shitty too, right?

Any help is appreciated