The Dumb Things DIYers Do...

[POC]

I built my house.
Between our kitchen and living room we have a short wall, we were going to put a bar top against it as a place to sit and eat, while talking to someone in the kitchen. In the mean-time we've put the cabinets in on the kitchen side of the short wall and my dad built a huge, beautiful cedar china cabinet for my wife that takes up the area that was going to be open to the kitchen (a china-wall). I had placed eletrical outlets in the short wall, at normal height on the living room side, and above the backsplash on the kitchen side....none of them have power....:thumbsup: :ashamed:

 

[tallyho8]

The previous owners of my home had completely sealed the attic with no vents "so that hot air couldn't get in".

 

[CompactTractorFan]

We also have: a bathroom vent vented to the attic, and no vent on the washer drain pipe (resulted to sewer smell).

 

[kenstrac]

We also have: a bathroom vent vented to the attic, and no vent on the washer drain pipe (resulted to sewer smell).

You might try adding a trap to the washer drain to stop sewer gasses from entering the house.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

You might try adding a trap to the washer drain to stop sewer gasses from entering the house.

I should have said had. We installed a vent pipe to the roof (it was a pretty simple job).

 

[/pine]

I should have said had. We installed a vent pipe to the roof (it was a pretty simple job).

you can also get what is sometimes called an Auto vent they let in air to assist drainage without venting gas...

 

[Arky217]

How about a 3" cast iron pipe from the toilet to septic tank run from the toilet at one edge of the slab in to the middle of the slab, then 90 degrees out to the adjacent edge of the slab on out to the septic tank with no cleanouts.

Then the second owner builds a cement/rock patio completely over the septic line from the house to two feet beyond the entrance to the septic tank. And in doing so add enough fill dirt first to now make the top of the septic tank over 3 feet deep!

 

[rekees4300]

Then the second owner builds a cement/rock patio completely over the septic line

That's called a let-the-next-guy-deal-with-it project. :mur:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

you can also get what is sometimes called an Auto vent they let in air to assist drainage without venting gas...

Yeah, I think we installed one of them on the sink which had no vent, or maybe that's still on the list...:laughing:

 

[Taylortractornut]

I have an old house that was moved from Holcut a town that was wiped out wen the Tenn Tom water way was dug. Nothing here was flush straight or square. I think they hit every culvert on the way over. SOme other folks had this place before my parnets bought it. All the wood is sawmilled oak and pine. So when doing construction its hit or miss when a nail will go in lol. It was added onto before my parents bought it and later after they had it it burnt. Dad wanted to bulldoze the house but while he was at work for 2 weeks mom cleaned the house out. THen they started back with it.


Over the years since I owned the house I have fixed all the problems dads buddy carpenters or sad stories hes hired over the years to fix things. WHen Mom and dad divorced dad and I worked 70 hours a week and hired a lady to clean house. Her husband had a cabinet shop and did costruction work was what she told him. Dad hired him to fix the old main bathroom. I told dad this guy looked like a Dipsh**t and I didnt trust him. Dad let him finish the job and after a few suspect things my suspiscions came true.

We came home to the tub/shower unit put together wrong. He put it i without using a level to check it for plum and square. I stood in the shower and the side wall was 8 inches closer to me than the lower wall. THe he filled all the gaps with caulk all this on a caulk less tub. The tub was also unlevel on 2 planes when filled. Dad called him and he told pop Well I just butted it against the old wall. He came back and halfway fixed it. Later when I boughtthe house the tub fell over one way. He had shimmed it with thinwall pvc pipes. He also had fixed the sink drain with 4 different pipes.

His wife was a great house keeper and I kept her on for a while till one day when I came home and had a note saying that she needed more money than wat I had left. She flipped a light switch on and it arced and tripped the breaker. She called her husband and he came and fixed it with an hour minimum bill for 60 dollars an hour. Plus 5.50 for a light switch. The kicker was other that i could have fixed it ad had a new matching spare in the utility drawer. He had a spare and it was an old brown light switch like you would see in a shop. I fixed it right later and let the house keeper go to.


After I had married I was in the closet on the addition of the house theres an inspection panel and i was checking it and heard water draining as Amy was draining the tub. I went under the house and the goofy carpenter when replacing the drains and the floor in the bathroom he had stepped on the thinwall drain pipe and broken holes in it. THat wasnt the problem the main problem was he hadnt connected the tube drain to the grey water drain to the septic tank. 3 whole feet gone of pipe hadnt been put in.