Home Improvement
- Thread starter Picasso3
- Start date
Might check into carpet tiles if you have problems with pissing in the floor all the time... or not using carpet.
chaos
Buzzfeed Editor
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We don't have the cats anymore. But for a month or so it was piss city in one corner of my room. We cleaned and scrubbed and rented the big ass cleaner and cleaned again but the smell is still there, haunting us, like the image of Big Cam's goblin cock forever haunts me.
I think I may just pull it up myself and that way I really get to spend some time getting the subflooring right. I'm sure they will still take the old carpet if I pull it up and not them. We'll see.
I think I may just pull it up myself and that way I really get to spend some time getting the subflooring right. I'm sure they will still take the old carpet if I pull it up and not them. We'll see.
Julian The Apostate
Vyemm Raider
- 2,316
- 2,412
Might want to look into this before you go through the expense of re-carpeting
The solution to all your pet smell woes.. Or any smell..
The solution to all your pet smell woes.. Or any smell..
- 25,424
- 37,545
LOL, that machine does not get rid of the core of the problem, cat piss stained carpet. Turn the machine off and cat piss smell returns. And yes cat piss is very difficult to get rid of. Even if you do get rid of the carpet, chances are it permeated the sub floor as well. I would clean that with bleach and let it soak in a bit after removing carpet.
This is why I fucking hate pets. We have a cat and an old dog, but I hate the smell of the cat. Even though they are clean animals, if you do not take care of the litter regularly, like every other day, That cat piss smell can permeate your whole house.
This is why I fucking hate pets. We have a cat and an old dog, but I hate the smell of the cat. Even though they are clean animals, if you do not take care of the litter regularly, like every other day, That cat piss smell can permeate your whole house.
Selix
Lord Nagafen Raider
- 2,149
- 4
CatGenie. The price through me off but I bought one after other automatic litter boxes sucked and I didn't have time to manage the litter box with my newborn to watch. Also the 90 day money back guarantee was something I fully planned to take advantage of if it sucked.
I've owed it for a year or so now I think and have come to the conclusion that you can have mine if you can pry it out of my cold and dead hands.
Lanx
<Prior Amod>
- 60,985
- 134,401
i'm moving into an apartment so i'll just list what i've done so far, again it's an apartment so modifications have to be minimal to "landlord too dumb to notice" changes.
first thing i did was feel for drafts, holy crap is this place drafty, my radiator (gas/steam old school) was going off like crazy to hit 70
first thing i did was get a digital temp and humidity gauge
Amazon.com - AcuRite 00325 Home Comfort Monitor, Black
while the dial on the thermostat was new, it was a dial and i like a digital readout, also i need to check the humidity, my wife has dustmite allergies, and we want to keep humidty below 50% (dust mites live and grow past 60%) current humidity is 35%, gonna get a humidifier that turns on/off with desired humidity, still looking for a good one, thinking of the vornado evap3
so time to seal up drafts, i didn't get this particular kit, it wasn't available at walmart/sears/lowes so i just got the separate pieces
Duck 1162920 Complete Home Insulation Kit - Amazon.com
the weatherstriping is needed for all 3 doors, i have a front/back and basement door, this worked for the top and the sides, for the bottoms i bought a slip on draft guard (the rubber kind not the foam kind that's more for inhouse), kinda expensive at 10bucks a guard but they work better imo than the ones you just drill into on one side.
i was sceptical on the plastic over the windows at first, and thought my apartment would look like bubble boy's room, but holy hell do they work. you basicall line your windows, cut the plastic to size and then blow dry. one they blow dry and and shrunk it's freaking clear. i didn't use a blow dryer tho, i couldn't find my wifes blow dryer, but i did have a heat shrink gun, which is like 10x more powerful than a blow dryer, so it might take longer with a blow dryer. (it was nearly instant with the heat shrink gun on low)
then when i took the face off the electrical outlets, wow, it was so damn drafty, i put those little foam suckers in there, no more draft, the light switches didn't seem to do much but i put them in anyway.
so what did this do? my radiator barely kicks on now and the place is a constant 70, i knew it was working when i met my 2nd fl neighbor and said hi (he wanted to see the place since it was updated with new cabinetry), first thing he noticed was, "where's the radiator sound"? cuz his is on all day, i showed him what i did, and he was just wide eyed, i said we can compare bills when i get my first one, and he just asked me for a list of stuff to buy instead. (i would have went with him but i was standing in there with 40boxes to unload)
next thing i upgraded was the locks. while i can't put in new locks cuz of lease terms, i can put in new screws. this place is super safe from crime, like this neighborhood doesn't get robbed (and i made sure that it was in a super white neighborhood), but the screws that screw in the door jamb were pathetic. Basically you can kick in a door even with a deadbolt, because the deadbolt connects to the door jamb usually has 1in screws, this means that the doorjamb which is really cheap plywood is the only thing protecting the door, you need 3in screws to go past the plywood, into the read wood stud frame.
a construction guy could probably (and most certainly can) explain it better, i just went to sears found 3in screws, they were labeled as 8x3, i'm guessing the 8 is the diameter.
i removed all the screws on the door jamb from the deadbolts (x2) and the doornob (whatever that is called) (x2), they varied in length from 1in to 2in, of course nothing reached the door stud. the basement door is only held shut by a simple latch, i at least replaced the 1/2in screws with 3in screws, also the doornob lock on it was one of those vintage locksets with a skeleton key! i have this on order from amazon
Amazon.com: Cardinal Gates Door Guardian, White: Baby
it seemed the best way to keep it locked, it secured from the door jamb, i'll probably have to chisel a bit, but i can probably make it not as noticable. i was checking out the door club and brass floor club
Amazon.com: The Club Model 20: The Door Club: MP3 Players Accessories
Nightlock Security Lock Door Barricade Dark Bronze Finish - Amazon.com
while i'm positive nothing is going to happen since these door jambs have never been kicked in, in forever, feels safer this way at least.
i'd probably just get into lease trouble drilling into the damn floor (since it's also tiled)
the door guardian seems to be a good alternative and good for kid proofing as well (for later in a house)
first thing i did was feel for drafts, holy crap is this place drafty, my radiator (gas/steam old school) was going off like crazy to hit 70
first thing i did was get a digital temp and humidity gauge
Amazon.com - AcuRite 00325 Home Comfort Monitor, Black
while the dial on the thermostat was new, it was a dial and i like a digital readout, also i need to check the humidity, my wife has dustmite allergies, and we want to keep humidty below 50% (dust mites live and grow past 60%) current humidity is 35%, gonna get a humidifier that turns on/off with desired humidity, still looking for a good one, thinking of the vornado evap3
so time to seal up drafts, i didn't get this particular kit, it wasn't available at walmart/sears/lowes so i just got the separate pieces
Duck 1162920 Complete Home Insulation Kit - Amazon.com
the weatherstriping is needed for all 3 doors, i have a front/back and basement door, this worked for the top and the sides, for the bottoms i bought a slip on draft guard (the rubber kind not the foam kind that's more for inhouse), kinda expensive at 10bucks a guard but they work better imo than the ones you just drill into on one side.
i was sceptical on the plastic over the windows at first, and thought my apartment would look like bubble boy's room, but holy hell do they work. you basicall line your windows, cut the plastic to size and then blow dry. one they blow dry and and shrunk it's freaking clear. i didn't use a blow dryer tho, i couldn't find my wifes blow dryer, but i did have a heat shrink gun, which is like 10x more powerful than a blow dryer, so it might take longer with a blow dryer. (it was nearly instant with the heat shrink gun on low)
then when i took the face off the electrical outlets, wow, it was so damn drafty, i put those little foam suckers in there, no more draft, the light switches didn't seem to do much but i put them in anyway.
so what did this do? my radiator barely kicks on now and the place is a constant 70, i knew it was working when i met my 2nd fl neighbor and said hi (he wanted to see the place since it was updated with new cabinetry), first thing he noticed was, "where's the radiator sound"? cuz his is on all day, i showed him what i did, and he was just wide eyed, i said we can compare bills when i get my first one, and he just asked me for a list of stuff to buy instead. (i would have went with him but i was standing in there with 40boxes to unload)
next thing i upgraded was the locks. while i can't put in new locks cuz of lease terms, i can put in new screws. this place is super safe from crime, like this neighborhood doesn't get robbed (and i made sure that it was in a super white neighborhood), but the screws that screw in the door jamb were pathetic. Basically you can kick in a door even with a deadbolt, because the deadbolt connects to the door jamb usually has 1in screws, this means that the doorjamb which is really cheap plywood is the only thing protecting the door, you need 3in screws to go past the plywood, into the read wood stud frame.
a construction guy could probably (and most certainly can) explain it better, i just went to sears found 3in screws, they were labeled as 8x3, i'm guessing the 8 is the diameter.
i removed all the screws on the door jamb from the deadbolts (x2) and the doornob (whatever that is called) (x2), they varied in length from 1in to 2in, of course nothing reached the door stud. the basement door is only held shut by a simple latch, i at least replaced the 1/2in screws with 3in screws, also the doornob lock on it was one of those vintage locksets with a skeleton key! i have this on order from amazon
Amazon.com: Cardinal Gates Door Guardian, White: Baby
it seemed the best way to keep it locked, it secured from the door jamb, i'll probably have to chisel a bit, but i can probably make it not as noticable. i was checking out the door club and brass floor club
Amazon.com: The Club Model 20: The Door Club: MP3 Players Accessories
Nightlock Security Lock Door Barricade Dark Bronze Finish - Amazon.com
while i'm positive nothing is going to happen since these door jambs have never been kicked in, in forever, feels safer this way at least.
i'd probably just get into lease trouble drilling into the damn floor (since it's also tiled)
the door guardian seems to be a good alternative and good for kid proofing as well (for later in a house)
Mist
Eeyore Enthusiast
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Here's the kitchen renovation I'm doing for my mom. Her house got flooded in March 2010 and there was a lot of water damage to the old cabinets shown in the first picture. Then we had a fire during the Blizzard Nemo in 2012 while I was taking care of her and the house after my stepfather bailed on her/us. The insurance company was particularly awful to her with regards to water damage during the flood, and not much help with the fire either considering what they promised her when they originally came out. Overall it took a long time to get compensated for either because the insurance company went through 5 different contractors, none of whom would work for what they wanted to pay out for the job, before they eventually just gave us the money.
The new cabinets I picked up for 1000 dollars after a local non-profit ripped them out of a rich person's beach house that was getting demolished after Hurricane Sandy. They're solid maple doors/frame with plywood, no particle board. All custom cabinets that were totally not meant for this little kitchen but we made them work. The sink is a Kohler Executive Chef sink that was discarded because it was slightly warped, which ended up working out well because the countertop was slightly warped too (fuck Home Depot.) My neighbor gave me a lot of help, he's a 79 year old carpenter who still works 6 days a week, but his help didn't come cheap as it ended up being a pretty massive project that took way more hours than expected.
It still needs trim molding and side paneling and a lot of other work. I need to pick her up a few appliances too that my stepfather took with him when he left, namely a stand mixer. And then I've got to move onto the dining area.
Before:
After:
The new cabinets I picked up for 1000 dollars after a local non-profit ripped them out of a rich person's beach house that was getting demolished after Hurricane Sandy. They're solid maple doors/frame with plywood, no particle board. All custom cabinets that were totally not meant for this little kitchen but we made them work. The sink is a Kohler Executive Chef sink that was discarded because it was slightly warped, which ended up working out well because the countertop was slightly warped too (fuck Home Depot.) My neighbor gave me a lot of help, he's a 79 year old carpenter who still works 6 days a week, but his help didn't come cheap as it ended up being a pretty massive project that took way more hours than expected.
It still needs trim molding and side paneling and a lot of other work. I need to pick her up a few appliances too that my stepfather took with him when he left, namely a stand mixer. And then I've got to move onto the dining area.
Before:
After:
I started looking at cabinet options tonight as i've got to completely redo my kitchen.
Holy hell am i fucked. I honestly could care less about MDF or particle board sides and even the retard stuff at home depot seems too expensive to me and looks more like it belongs in a laundry room. I may end up taking a 60 ft uhaul to ikea in pittsburgh and burning about 16 years pay.
Holy hell am i fucked. I honestly could care less about MDF or particle board sides and even the retard stuff at home depot seems too expensive to me and looks more like it belongs in a laundry room. I may end up taking a 60 ft uhaul to ikea in pittsburgh and burning about 16 years pay.
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- 177,954
Are the cabinets you have complete shite? There are a lot of places that do new fronts for cabinets at a fraction of the cost of new ones.
Erronius
Macho Ma'am
- 16,491
- 42,462
Try doing some GIS searches for some cabinets that look like you want, then take that pic around local cabinet shops and see what they quote you.
They're original 50s wood with tack paper shit glues on the insides and pretty beat up. I could reface them but i'd really like to change up the layout anyway.
Google says 1 cabinet shop in this booming metropolis. I'll give them a call.
Google says 1 cabinet shop in this booming metropolis. I'll give them a call.
- 16,429
- 7,440
I have leaky concrete steps/porch and I'm wondering what would be the easiest way to fix it.
House was built back in 70's with a fuel tank stored under the front stairs. It's not used any more, but it's still there. The part where the fuel tank extends beyond the rest of the house is lined with cinder blocks. A wood frame was put on top and then the concrete stairs on top of that. I don't know what idiot thought this was a good idea, but I have witnessed water coming in through the stairs. Not through a crack, just plain saturating the concrete and then dripping down. This guaranteed that the wood frame would eventually rot, which it has. I've torn down most of it because it was providing no structural support. I'm not even sure if it needs too.
I've also witnessed ground water leaking in through the cinder blocks. This is after a week of no rain, so this isn't a hard rain situation. I've thought about basically coating the inside concrete surfaces with caulk, but I can't keep the cinder blocks dry to apply it. Even in the winter, water still seeps in. Is there a way to waterproof concrete while it is wet? I was then going to put some 2x4's under the stair to make sure they don't collapse?
Or is this a lost cause and I should bust up the stairs, haul away the old fuel tank, and then go from there?
I'm also concerned that if water is resting against the cinder blocks(only a little gets in unless it really does rain hard), does that mean I have ground water resting against other parts of my foundation?
House was built back in 70's with a fuel tank stored under the front stairs. It's not used any more, but it's still there. The part where the fuel tank extends beyond the rest of the house is lined with cinder blocks. A wood frame was put on top and then the concrete stairs on top of that. I don't know what idiot thought this was a good idea, but I have witnessed water coming in through the stairs. Not through a crack, just plain saturating the concrete and then dripping down. This guaranteed that the wood frame would eventually rot, which it has. I've torn down most of it because it was providing no structural support. I'm not even sure if it needs too.
I've also witnessed ground water leaking in through the cinder blocks. This is after a week of no rain, so this isn't a hard rain situation. I've thought about basically coating the inside concrete surfaces with caulk, but I can't keep the cinder blocks dry to apply it. Even in the winter, water still seeps in. Is there a way to waterproof concrete while it is wet? I was then going to put some 2x4's under the stair to make sure they don't collapse?
Or is this a lost cause and I should bust up the stairs, haul away the old fuel tank, and then go from there?
I'm also concerned that if water is resting against the cinder blocks(only a little gets in unless it really does rain hard), does that mean I have ground water resting against other parts of my foundation?
- 41,504
- 177,954
That is, indeed, a problem. You may have to bust it up, and start over. Do you think you could get it to dry up if you ran some kind of really heavy duty fan directly at the wet spots for a few days? If so, you might do that, and then spray-apply something like this
#1 Concrete Sealer | Radon Mitigation | Basement Waterproofing
all over the spots and their surrounding areas.
But, if it were my place, I'd probably bust it up, get rid of the fuel tank, and start over with proper site preparation.
#1 Concrete Sealer | Radon Mitigation | Basement Waterproofing
all over the spots and their surrounding areas.
But, if it were my place, I'd probably bust it up, get rid of the fuel tank, and start over with proper site preparation.