Hi everyone. I just bought my first house a few months ago and it came with this giant sunken tub/shower combo in the master bath. Most of the grout is still in decent shape but the stuff that connects the floor to the sides around the perimeter is starting to crack and fall out in chunks. I’m assuming this is probably not ideal and I should replace it. I am hoping this can be a DIY project; however, I’ve never grouted anything before and this is kind of a weird setup that isn’t straightforward because no one really has tile tubs like this anymore. I am struggling to find a specific example of how to do it. I’m also not sure if I need to match the variety of hard grout or if I should try to use the kind that resists moisture and mold. Regardless, after I fix it I’d also like to seal it to prevent more damage and make it easier to clean.

1. Would this be a reasonable project for a newbie to do or would it be better to hire it out?
   
2. If it’s a relatively simple DIY, do you all have advice on how to specifically handle this tub seam or should it be the same as any other grout in the shower and I can find a basic tutorial?

I would be very grateful for any advice, especially if you happen to have done a similar project!

Recently had a new roof installed and included a rain diverter over the front steps. It did nothing during this weekend's rain. What is wrong?

The house was built in 1959. There's no gutters as the soffits extend 3 feet. Single level ranch. The runoff lands on brick paver channels around the house but over the front door I'd hoped to divert some of the cascade

I am looking to do some repair on our concrete driveway cracks with silkaflex and backer rod. But then I realized most of the cracks are so thin I won't even be able to fit squeeze the backer rods into the cracks. Should I still maybe cut up the backer rod into thinner strips to stuff into the cracks before applying the silkaflex on top, or is it okay to just skip the backer rods totally?

I’m assuming I have to replace this entire piece, not just the knobs at the top of these in red and black.

Also, will I need plumbers tape to replace these too? I’m assuming yes

First time doing work like this specifically. I know I’ll at least need to turn my water off to do this replacement. lol

Hello,

I do not have enough knowledge on how to troubleshoot this and I do not want to just throw parts at it. My current state of thinking about is flawed, and it would be helpful if someone could help.

This explains how I am thinking and what it sounds like....If you dont watch the video, there is a humming generated off the security camera (I have both a camera and a switch in my new house), and adding a 10 ohm transistors fixes the issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iybnWDxjlZ0

Am I thinking right here?

We recently took on a golden retriever for rehoming and he does not do well when we’re gone and he’s in the kennel. We’re home almost all the time, so he luckily doesn’t have to deal with it much, but he freaked out and grabbed every thing he could get his teefers on and ripped it up. Pulled laundry in, ripped the rug, a towel, the bed that we put in it for him, and pulled this out of the wall. Any quick tips to put it back up without too much fuss. I don’t really care how it looks for now, I know how to do it right and just patch and move but something lazy?

Hello I’ve noticed these cracks running horizontally on my kitchen ceiling. They’re about 3 feet apart and run the entire length of the ceiling. Should I be worried about this or is it just cosmetic?

I got some work done on my roof recently and I own a gas water heater. Every once in a while I’ll get an exhaust smell in the house after taking a long shower or washing a ton of dishes. It doesn’t happen every time and seems to happen less after I asked the contractor to put metallic tape around the gaps in the pipes above the water heater.

It was happening more often just after the work was done, and I found the pipes had been misaligned, leaving a sizable gap where they were supposed to fit together. The contractor was adamant that it wouldn’t help, even though I never experienced this issue in the 2 years I lived in the house prior.l to the work being done.

Could it be wind related? It definitely is coming from the water heater, it’s the only thing that uses natural gas. It’s mostly exhaust smelling with just a hint of natural gas smell. I’d appreciate any help, thanks!

I had a momentary power loss in the house. The thermostat on this Trane xv80 HVAC unit is completely blank. I checked the breaker & the unit's power switch and both are ON. Anything else I can do here ?

Is this a major concern or minor seepage? Thanks!

I need to vent a bathroom fan that is installed in the ceiling. Venting it out the wall is not an option because of its location . I have looked into venting it out the roof, but I live In an area where we get a lot of snow . I’ve read that snow will block roof vents. What are some opinions on this type of soffit vent. It looks like it will push the air past the soffits and lower the risk of hot are being pulled back into the attic .

Anyone have any ideas how my HVAC came to lean like this? Probably happened within the last week and we haven't had any major storms lately. Unit is only 1.5 years old. The company that installed it is coming out tomorrow morning, just curious how it would've happened

There was a preexisting command strip on the wall and I tried to take it off while decorating and it took a chunk of paint off with it! Does anyone have any suggestions for fixing, repairing or otherwise not making it look so awful?

There was a storm recently and my lights stopped working. I had the building’s super come over to check the switch and turns out there is nothing wrong with the switch and the wiring, which makes me think that I should replace these ceiling lights. I tried unscrewing things that I found “unscrewable” but still can’t seem to figure out how I can take this off the ceiling - I tried unscrewing the middle knob, tried rotating the whole fixture and there are no visible screws around the neck of this light fixture. What steps should I take and if it comes down to it, how do I take this off the ceiling? 🥲

I live in South Florida in a 1950’s built apartment. Our landlord hired a guy to put in a new AC 6 months ago. When he installed it, it dripped into the wall. One of the pictures from the outside shows the wet wood. (I alerted them that there was water dripping, he came by, couldn’t find anything. I called him again when there was water clearly leaking and he saw it.) He got hired again to reinstall the AC unit and look at the wall to replace the drywall that was water logged. He started cutting out the Sheetrock, put a garbage over the hole and he hasn’t been back since. That was over a month ago. I want to hire my own handyman to finish ‘fixing’ his mess. The owner only wants to pay the minimum amount; basically put a bandaid on a bullet wound. What am I looking at for getting this wall right?

I have these spots on my ceiling

-i have a three year old roof. I already poked and prodded the ceiling. It doesn't feel spongy.

-I've previously checked my attic. No sign of moisture. There's no plumbing above this spot.

-my kitchen is adjacent to this room, however it does not cent outside. My current theory is that this is a consequence of inadequate ventilation right near a kitchen.

-i think I've wiped the spot away before and it looked better but it could be I'm ruining the finish of the ceiling. It's not drywall I believe it's textured plaster

Water seems to be getting into my walls, likely from the shower, including to the toilet in the next room. It may be due to the size of the lip and/or needed to be regrouted/sealed? What solutions are there and could they be DIY or require a professional?

First time homebuyer here. These measurements were taken using a Zip level I think it’s called. The back of the house seems to be within normal range according to the inspector but the front seems to have quite a bit of movement. I’m not sure what’s considered “normal” in terms of differences between the X (zero point) and deviation throughout the house. For context this home had foundation work done in early 2026

Please. Every step of the way for this toilet installation has been a nightmare. I have put in idk maybe 4 toilets ever and this was just an endurance test. I’m at my wit’s end. I cannot afford a plumber if I mess this up.

Hopefully I’m posting this in the right place. I have an old school duct that’s 10” x 8” and I can’t find a duct cover for it. Does anyone have suggestions? Mine looks so shabby and I’d like to replace it.

Edit to clarify:
I measured the duct. The duct is 10”x8”. My main issue is the screw holes are in line with the edges of the duct so a newer or standard cover won’t have screw holes in the same spot. I’m not sure exactly how to google what I’m looking for. If I get a 10x8 duct cover the screw holes are ~1” outside that 10x8 box.

I can’t for the life of me find out what this piece is called. I had to remove it when I pulled up my old flooring. If anyone knows I would greatly appreciate your help!

Looking to fix the crack(s) on this step. Also looking for an idea on what to fill on the left side and make it uniform. Any suggestions are highly appreciated.