The Home Improvement Thread

[Fuzzy14]

Anyone with experience/a referral for diagnosing and addressing a basement foundation leak? Developing the basement in an aging home we bought 2 months ago and some water seems to have made its way in with the melting the past few days. Thankfully we’re not at drywall yet so we can address this before we progress any further.

[Madman]

Easiest first step is to go outside and look at downspouts and other sources of drainage. Do you have something funneling water directly at that spot? Is the ground incorrectly graded at that spot, making it the path of least resistance for the water?

[Cortez]

Hey CP - looking for some recommendations on kitchen cabinet replacement/upgrades. I am trying to find a company that will come in, upgrade our cabinets and add more storage space to our kitchen. I have found a few online of course but wondering if anyone here has done something similar and can offer some advice on it?

[Shazam]

Home reno show is this weekend. Maybe visit.

I’m using Kay2 for some bathroom renos and I’ve been very pleased so far.

[firebug]

I managed to break the head off the 100' x 5/8" plumbing snake i rented from Home Depot.

Any plumbers around or referral to a good one who is willing to work 2 miles W of the Calgary City limits on 22X?

Im hoping it can be scoped and then retrieved... but obviously my luck hasn't been so great recently lol.

[scotty2hotty]

I want to knock a wall down in my basement. I’m going to tackle the minor reno work myself, but I’m looking for someone to have a quick look and give me the thumbs up (or not).

I’m assuming a structural engineer would be a bit overkill for the task.

Is there a type of handyman you would recommend that could give me the ‘unofficial’ green light? What should I be googling here?

[timun]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I want to knock a wall down in my basement. I’m going to tackle the minor reno work myself, but I’m looking for someone to have a quick look and give me the thumbs up (or not).

I’m assuming a structural engineer would be a bit overkill for the task.

You know what they say when you assume...

Is there a type of handyman you would recommend that could give me the ‘unofficial’ green light? What should I be googling here?

No, there is no "handyman" you want "giving you the 'unofficial' green light". For the love of all that is holy get a structural engineer.

[timun]

Originally Posted by firebug

I managed to break the head off the 100' x 5/8" plumbing snake i rented from Home Depot.

Any plumbers around or referral to a good one who is willing to work 2 miles W of the Calgary City limits on 22X?

Im hoping it can be scoped and then retrieved... but obviously my luck hasn't been so great recently lol.

Did the end of the snake break off after you cleared the clog? If so... just flush a bunch of water down the line and forget about it. Either way you're going to have to pay for the cost of the rented snake.

[scotty2hotty]

Originally Posted by timun

You know what they say when you assume...

No, there is no "handyman" you want "giving you the 'unofficial' green light". For the love of all that is holy get a structural engineer.

Just found one on HomeStars

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I want to knock a wall down in my basement. I’m going to tackle the minor reno work myself, but I’m looking for someone to have a quick look and give me the thumbs up (or not).

I’m assuming a structural engineer would be a bit overkill for the task.

Is there a type of handyman you would recommend that could give me the ‘unofficial’ green light? What should I be googling here?

Unless your home is like 100 years old, it's highly unlikely any basement walls are load bearing.

You got posts that hold up the beams that hold up the joists in home built after the 1940s basically. Think of an unfinished basement.

I would say you are safe to knock down any wall in your basement, but just know there might be a post hiding in said wall, ruining the aesthetic you are planning.

[firebug]

Originally Posted by timun

Did the end of the snake break off after you cleared the clog? If so... just flush a bunch of water down the line and forget about it. Either way you're going to have to pay for the cost of the rented snake.

Is this opinion or wise/professional advice? But yes, it broke off after the clog was dealt with. I'm just worried that having it in the line may cause additional problems in the future - but would be thrilled if its something i can just ignore.

Thankfully I paid for the $10 insurance option on the rental - I just dropped it off and said 'I broke it' lol.

[timun]

For liability reasons, let me be clear to anyone (especially from APEGA) reading along: I don't dole out professional advice on the internet. Do not construe anything I write on this forum to be professional advice. If you need professional advice, seek the advice of a professional. (Which could be me... but not on this forum...)



That said, do you recall how far down the line the snake was when the end broke off? If you were anywhere near the connection to the main out in the street/alley, I'd say don't worry about it. If it was in the house... you could just pop the nearest cleanout and rent another snake to retrieve the broken end.

[firebug]

Originally Posted by timun

For liability reasons, let me be clear to anyone (especially from APEGA) reading along: I don't dole out professional advice on the internet. Do not construe anything I write on this forum to be professional advice. If you need professional advice, seek the advice of a professional. (Which could be me... but not on this forum...)



That said, do you recall how far down the line the snake was when the end broke off? If you were anywhere near the connection to the main out in the street/alley, I'd say don't worry about it. If it was in the house... you could just pop the nearest cleanout and rent another snake to retrieve the broken end.

I will expressly disregard any advice then Understood.

Apparently there is a low spot in my drainage anyways so will be bringing someone in to re-grade the line out to my septic tank later in the spring.

[timun]

Aah, I totally missed the part about you being located somewhere out Priddis/Bragg Creek's way.

Being that you're on a septic system, you... probably preferably would retrieve that thing. See if you can rent a camera and another snake from Home Depot.

[Fuzz]

Are your pipes ABS, and is the tip of the missing tool metal? You might be able to tie a magnet to a string with some foam(to float it down) and go fishing.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Unless your home is like 100 years old, it's highly unlikely any basement walls are load bearing.

You got posts that hold up the beams that hold up the joists in home built after the 1940s basically. Think of an unfinished basement.

I would say you are safe to knock down any wall in your basement, but just know there might be a post hiding in said wall, ruining the aesthetic you are planning.

I don't disagree but just to add to this our house built in 1950 has a load bearing basement wall. Yeah, weird.

That said, there a few pretty obvious give aways with load bearing walls. First, they need to run perpendicular to the joists. Second, they'll be at the end of a joist and not mid span. Third, your saw will bind after you've gotten through a few studs...

[topfiverecords]

Load bearing walls in basements aren’t rare enough to blanket ignore the possibility and you should still investigate before going too far. Hard to say whether you really need an engineer or a “professional” though without other details. Is the ceiling adjacent to it drywalled? Is there part of the basement unfinished? What’s the shape of the house and where’s the wall in relation? Is this a single storey, two storey, walk out? Simple rectangular bungalow or a complicated structure with multiple levels and shape?

[Shazam]

The walls besides the stairs will be load bearing.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by kevman

I don't disagree but just to add to this our house built in 1950 has a load bearing basement wall. Yeah, weird.

That said, there a few pretty obvious give aways with load bearing walls. First, they need to run perpendicular to the joists. Second, they'll be at the end of a joist and not mid span. Third, your saw will bind after you've gotten through a few studs...

...and then your house will fall down, right?

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Shazam

The walls besides the stairs will be load bearing.

Floor above? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.

Stringer deflection support most often.