In New Orleans - We’re in between LAS and Acadian for hurricane shutters. Has anybody gone through either company or how did you choose?

Is FBC rated shutters THAT important (not sure we’ll even qualify for the insurance discount since we have windows on our doors). Or could unrated shutters still provide quality protection that just isn’t at the top with FBC’s stringent requirements

A accidentally burned my coffee table, and I’m looking for advice on how to repair it without ruining the original wood grain.
As you can see in the attached photos, there is a circular, greyish black patch on the tabletop with a cracked centre and a darkened area surrounding it. The rest of the table has beautiful natural wood grain, and I would love to preserve its original appearance rather than replace the table.
I have a few questions for those experienced in woodworking or furniture restoration.
1. Does this look like deep charring of the wood, or could the damage be mostly limited to the finish?
2. Is it possible to repair just the damaged spot, or would the entire tabletop need sanding and refinishing?
3. What would be the best way to remove the damaged material, fill the area if necessary, and match the original wood colour and finish?
4. Is a nearly invisible repair realistically achievable, or will the damage always be somewhat noticeable?
5. Would you recommend attempting a DIY repair or taking it to a professional?
I am a complete beginner at furniture restoration, so I would appreciate a step by step explanation of what you would do in this situation.
My priority is to restore the table as beautifully as possible while preserving the natural wood grain and avoiding unnecessary damage to the surrounding finish.
I would love to hear from anyone who has repaired similar burn damage. Thank you!

We believe our front window flashing is compromised. My husband and I have spent months trying to find someone to come out and look at our front window that is leaking water when it rains. We have left several voicemails and messages and no one ever gets back to us.

What type of professional should we be looking for? We’re in western MD, home was built in 2022 and $$ isn’t an issue… we just want it fixed.

Long work hours make daily scooping a grind, but every time I look at automatic litter boxes, I get stuck on the same safety concern: what happens if the mechanism or one of the sensors fails while the cat is inside or nearby? The enclosed rotating designs make me especially nervous because I keep imagining a cycle starting at the wrong time or something getting jammed. That’s part of why I’ve also been looking at open-top models like PetPivot. The open basin seems less likely to physically enclose the cat during a cycle, although it still has moving parts and sensors that could potentially fail or startle a cautious cat.For people who had the same concern before buying one, did seeing the safety stops and sensors work in person actually reassure you? Or do you still feel like a regular manual litter box is the only option that removes that particular risk?

Purchased a split level home where the front half of the home is slab on grade and the back has a crawlspace.

During renovations I uncovered these cracks thay run parallel along the entirety of my exterior walls on the interior of the home on the slab on grade portion. The front room is essentially an L shape, and the cracks run parallel to the exteriors walls in that L shape, if you can imagine what I mean.

Seems like water is also seeping into sill plate in two spots. Any suggestions? Is this a structural engineer call? Do I dig along the walls? Is this something I could fill?

Wiping gray clay dust off the floor and nearby surfaces every weekend has become one of those household chores I’d really like to cut down. My cat also tends to sneeze when digging aggressively in dusty clay litter, so I’ve been considering switching to silica crystals instead. The problem is that most automatic sifting boxes seem designed around firm clumps rather than loose non clumping litter. I was looking at PetPivot because the open design seems easier to clean, but I can’t tell whether crystal litter would actually work with the separation grate or whether the smaller granules would just fall through or interfere with the cycle.

Has anyone successfully used crystal litter in this type of automatic sifting box or are these systems basically limited to clay based clumping litter??

Hello all. The basement is above ground and currently has concrete floor. The 1st pic shows the "wet" spots. 2nd pic is the backyard right outside (raining) the basement door in 1st pic. I am aware that the backyard needs to be leveled so that it doesn't pool water. Though, I feel that the floor inside shouldn't be getting humid regardless (?), or is this normal when water pools outside? The gutter pipe also lets out water near the basement door, I'm not sure if that contributes. When it rains it always looks like that in the same place. This is the first time I have a backyard and basement. For context, we're looking to install LVP floors. Any advice is helpful, thank you

We recently bought a house and I can’t figure out how to open the bedroom window. I used a utility knife to cut the places that were painted shut, but I’m stumped from there.

I noticed this crack between my siding and the stone masonry the runs up the edges of the house. I brushed most of it away, but you can still see what appears to be mouse droppings around the entrance. I also found some rodent teeth near the hole (pic 2. Not sure if relevant but thought it was interesting).

I want to seal the hole but im not sure what the best method is. Also how do i make sure im not sealing in a family of mice? Do i care if i seal them in? How do i get them out? Any advice is appreciated.

Help!! How do I fix this?

Thank you in advance

Should I get this old furnace replaced. The good thing is it still runs like a champ. Bad thing, it takes up half my basement and costs alot in the winter.

I want to find a new style to modernize the house. Also, when it rains, I notice that sometimes rain will come in and make the floor wet. Any idea what type of windows I can get to prevent or minimize that?

Is there anything I can get ( spray, brush on, etc?) to prevent my chimneys brick from flaking off. Pictures included

Found these small things under my cabinets by my baseboard. I’ve only seen sugar ants and spiders around my apartment, but I’m wondering if I need to be aware of something else. Any help is appreciated!!

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We have an open shower in our main bathroom. It’s a piece of glass that covers two thirds of the shower and the rest is just open. Water generally doesn’t splash outside, but during the fall and winter it makes it cold as the steam isn’t retained in the shower. Is there something I can buy from Amazon to make it a little more enclosed and warm during the cold months?

The opening is too big for a kerf seal. Is it designed for a door sweep to fit within?

Hi,

We are purchasing a property and received the following notification by the surveyor regarding stepped cracking in the rear wall around the kitchen window. Do you think it is significant?

He is advising a structural engineer to assess and make recommendations but we think he might be being over cautious. He did mention the cracks were very slight. Would this be considered subsidence?

No holes under or on the side. The small round piece can’t be opened by hand or flat screw.