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The mortar joints in my fireplace are very deep and I'd like to bring them more level with the surface of the brick. The fireplace is no longer in use so heat is not a concern. I'm wondering if I should use real mortar or if I can get away with using Acrylic Mortar Repair Sealant that comes in a...

The standard covers won't work. There's no holes for the screws to attach to. What do I need to get to make this work? Thanks!

My front porch has almost half of the boards rotting along with what's underneath it. I'm posting pictures here in hopes that someone can help me figure out how best to fix this. I'd like to tear it all off and replace it but when I pulled off some of the rotten boards, I found more boards...

I want to install glass block windows in my basement but the rough opening is just a hair (1/2") too small to fit the standard sizes available at the big box store. What is the best way to remove a small amount of material from the horizontal window sill that's there now? Angle grinder...

My son tripped and fell into the back door and broke the glass. I was going to just replace the glass but I can't figure out how to insert it. Instead of being held in by removable moldings, it slides into a channel that 1/2" deep around all 4 sides of the window. So I think it would be...

I have a kid who keeps popping out the screen on my storm door. Is there any way to reinforce it so that it can withstand being bumped into? I saw something called window screen retainer clips and I'm wondering if those could work. But I don't understand how they work and how to know which type...

There are so many concrete products out there I'm really confused about which one to use where. I have three things I need to do: Seal around the foundation of my house (brick) between the house and the driveway (concrete). Seal in between the expansion gaps in my driveway. Fill in several...

It's been pointed out to me that my current setup is not okay. I'd like to fix it but I'm not sure how best to do this. I just have a typical gas hot water heater that was installed in 2019, one year before I bought my house. I've added pictures to show what I have going on now. The vent...

I have an old lock that uses a skeleton key to open it. The lock is stuck in the closed position and won't open. I can see a little piece of metal at the top of the keyhole but I'm not sure what to do with it. Any idea how to fix this?

The image below is underneath my sink where the previous homeowner cut a huge out to install the electrical box for the dishwasher and garbage disposal. Obviously there are many problems in this picture. The electrical box is barely fastened to the stud with one nail at the top that's not all...

I recently moved into a very old house with very old wiring. Until I can afford to have it rewired, I'm installing GFCI and AFCI breakers at the panel for the first and second floor and then adding 3 prong outlets for the house. The basement is a bit more complicated. Some of the work looks...

The knob keeps falling off my dimmer switch. Any ideas how to secure it on there?

I'm going to paint my brick fireplace. It's decorative only, no longer in use. I really wanted to find a paint that was a warm off-white with a pearl/metallic look but I just couldn't find anything that was the shade I wanted. I bought a latex paint in the color I want and also bought some...

I would like to replace the luxury vinyl flooring in my kitchen but I don't know how to figure out if they're floating or glued down. Is there any way to figure this out without cutting into it?

The ceilings in my kitchen and mudroom are really strange. I'm not sure what they're made of or what, if anything is underneath them. My house was built in 1923 so it's 100 years old. Anyways, the ceiling in the mudroom are starting to sag. When I push on them they are very hard to try and...

I have one of those sinks where there's one handle in the center and you turn it left for hot and right for cold. The problem is, when you turn it off, the handle has to be nudged to the right in just the exact spot or it drips water. This is super annoying especially because my kid never...

On my pantry, I have full overlay doors with a 3/8" offset. I'd like to install wrap around hinges because my kid is tough on them but I'm having a hard time find anything in 3/8". There are plenty of 1/2" available so what would happen if I used 1/2"? Would the reveal be too small to close or...

My exterior door is sagging slightly and won't close as tight as it should. To fix this, I want to tighten the door hinge. Problem is, the screws are as tight as they can get. I can't tighten it any further. Any ideas how to fix?

I currently have a thermostat with two wires: a C wire that powers the thermostat and an R wire that controls both the heater and central air. It's my understanding that smart thermostats won't work with this type of 2 wire setup. I've been trying to research this and not coming up with much.

I wasn't sure if this should go here or in windows in doors so hopefully this post is okay. My garage door sensors are giving me a really hard time. Initially, the door would not close and just flashed the lights as a warning so after determining everything else was okay, I figured I'd replace...