Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
31
votes
12 answers

What are the "must do" tasks before winter hits?

I've had my furnace serviced in time for winter, but what other things should I consider doing before the snow and the ice come?
Jeff Yates
  • 471
  • 2
  • 8
  • 14
31
votes
5 answers

Is there a standard height and depth for stairs?

Is there a standard (or a standard range for) the height and depth of each step in a flight of stairs? If your answer refers to your building code, please say where you live.
Vebjorn Ljosa
  • 9,625
  • 18
  • 59
  • 88
31
votes
10 answers

Is is safe to use LED strips that shine onto stair risers instead of directly onto treads?

I'm planning to mount LED strips under the treads of the outdoor wood staircase to our back yard. I'd like to avoid light shining into peoples' eyes while climbing stairs, so I'm considering mounting the LED strips in a 45-degree aluminum channel…
Justin Grant
  • 1,587
  • 7
  • 24
  • 32
31
votes
5 answers

Good way to remove something from a bathroom sink overflow drain?

My wife dropped an earring down the overflow drain of her bathroom sink. The earring is about 1" in diameter, so the hole which goes from the overflow to the main drain is too small for it to pass through. The earring is silver, so it's…
LarryBud
  • 779
  • 5
  • 13
31
votes
5 answers

Is it safe to remove the bottom chords of a series of garage roof trusses?

See attached picture. Looks like an 8x10 cut-out. He wants to lift cars up so he can walk under them. Is this safe? Doesn't removing the joists affect structural integrity?
Lynn Baker
  • 311
  • 1
  • 3
  • 3
31
votes
12 answers

How can I remove a really stuck screw?

I often come across screws that just won't budge with a manual screwdriver or even a driver bit in a drill. They are of different screw types and heads in a variety of different materials. What are some techniques I can use to try and remove them?
Tester101
  • 131,561
  • 78
  • 320
  • 610
31
votes
3 answers

Why do Contractor Levels have two vials with the same orientation?

It seems to me that having multiple vials in the same orientation is redundant, but many levels seems to include this feature. What am I missing? There has to be some reason.
DaggerOfMesogrecia
  • 493
  • 1
  • 4
  • 5
31
votes
11 answers

Should I tilt my DIY self-standing bookshelf backwards to prevent it falling down?

Context I intend to build a self-standing bookshelf using 18mm-thick, CNC-router-cut plywood. The bookshelf is made of nested planks, and entirely fits a 35cm-deep recess in my wall. Following pictures display first a sketch of the global design,…
ebosi
  • 445
  • 1
  • 4
  • 12
31
votes
5 answers

What is this vertical metal pipe in my backyard? old well? septic?

Purchased this house last week and the previous owners also did not know what it was. The pipe is heavy duty and set in concrete. There's water about halfway up the length of the pipe, but I haven't tested the depth. UPDATE: it was definitely an…
Drew
  • 884
  • 5
  • 12
  • 20
31
votes
3 answers

How to open a door that has the insides of a door handle inside without a door knob

Currently this is what my doorknob looks like below I was trying to change out my doorknob and left both sides inside of the room but the AC kicked on and shut the door on me and now I am stuck outside of the room. I was wondering how I could I open…
John Rawls
  • 413
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
31
votes
1 answer

Metal spike with heavy metal cord found in front lawn

While raking my front lawn I came across this metal stake in the ground, wrapped in a thick metal wire/cord. I could not pull the stake up. I dug around and found the wire, pulling up on it and it seems to go quite a ways, so I stopped before…
Sean
  • 425
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
30
votes
10 answers

What are the most important things to check/do after buying a home?

We are in the process of purchasing a home that is over 20 years old. What are some of the most important things we should check/patch/do right away to make sure the home is running correctly and efficiently? We live in Canada, so keep in mind that…
Mario
  • 535
  • 3
  • 7
  • 8
30
votes
13 answers

Protecting solar panels from kids who may throw stones to get monkeys off roof

I have read this question - Solar panels and hail and my question is similar. I have the possibility that neighboring kids may throw stones at my roof top solar panels to scare off monkeys which are a local pest. What protection measures I can take…
user56677
30
votes
9 answers

How do I install a GFCI receptacle with two hot wires and common neutral?

In my kitchen, I want to replace a regular 120V receptacle with a GFCI-protected receptacle. The instructions describe what to do with a regular 2-wire + ground feed, with and without daisy chaining to other receptacles, but not how to do it with a…
Matt Fox
  • 485
  • 1
  • 5
  • 8
30
votes
4 answers

If DC adapters are so prevalent, why is AC used in construction by default?

I'm not sure if there's a better place to ask this or not. Why, at least here in America, is the standard electrical system set up for alternating current (AC) rather than direct current (DC)? I'm just completing a long-distance move and realizing…
Naftuli Kay
  • 1,171
  • 8
  • 18
  • 25
1 2 3
…
99 100