DIY Home Improvement Thread..

[No_Pressure]

That's a fantastically helpful post! When you say you recommend "a short retaining wall with grooved wall block." Do you mean a single wall or two, terraced levels like it is now?

If you're going to replace what is already there, I mean terraced levels rather than one wall. Typically when one makes a retaining wall, they level everything leading up to it. Putting down one wall would leave a hillside and then a small retaining wall at the bottom, or you would have a gigantic wall multiple feet high which must be back filled with dirt to match the level of the ground in front of your house. Neither option is appealing.

If you made two straight walls extending to the outer portion of the existing mulch bed you could get some extra soil and fill/level the space for each terrace. The end effect/desired result would be something like this:

Though yours would be on a smaller scale, and of course you could choose to landscape that any way you please.

The alternative with one wall would be a very high wall and back filling it with a whole lot of dirt which would likely not look all that nice, it would be difficult, more expensive, and create a greater safety hazard on your property. I'd go with terraces.

Just remember, if you do something like this you're going to want to build the lower wall first and then prepare well for the 2nd.

You will need:

- A hand tamper.

- A good shovel.

- A good level.

- A measuring tape.

- A chisel for prepping your lower level of blocks.

- A rubber mallet for knocking things into place well.

Measure out how long you want your wall to be, and make sure you have space enough to mark and dig out your base. Try to calculate your aggregate needs in advance- a 10 foot wall will need to sit on a base which (ideally) is about 10 feet 4 inches long, and depending on the width of your block (let's say it's half a foot wide) your base is going to be a foot and 2 inches wide. You may be up against a driveway which restricts the "4 inches on each side" rule, and certainly when you're up against the house you can't observe this rule. Anyway, you would have 10'4 by 1'2 base ideally at a depth of 6 inches. V= L*W*H so 10.33 times 1.16 times .5 = around 6 cubic feet unless my math skills have become atrophied from lack of having to calculate crap like this anymore.

The point is, in order to make it cost effective for yourself you should calculate in advance the volume which will be needed for the base of each wall. Also keep in mind the source of your gravel. If you have a work truck which can take a load of gravel being dumped in the bed, I'd buy in bulk and shovel it in. Sure, it's extra work, but buying it in bags or having bulk loads delivered can get pricey.

Level the ground all the way across, in small sections at a time. Be mindful of getting it perfect. Tamping the dirt prior to adding the gravel base and leveling the dirt will help make this a quicker process. Tamp, level, tamp again, level again. It's time consuming and tedious. I've also seen work that I did in year 1 landscaping which is in excellent condition today alongside work of a corner cutting crew which is lopsided and looking quite aged. You won't notice mistakes in months or a few years. After a decade however you'll know the difference between quality work and shoddy work.

When you complete your first wall, and after the glue is dry, I'd fill in, tamp, and level the dirt behind it so you have a flat surface. For the upper terrace, you will likely need to do a decent amount of digging to give yourself space to once again dig out a 6 inch base and repeat the process. Be mindful of keeping straight lines when putting together your wall and digging out your base. Tamp the **** out of everything- the dirt your base is sitting on, the dirt around your base, the base itself. You need solidly packed ground and a strong foundation. When you make the 2nd tier fill dirt in behind that, and level it off. Plant something nice in there for god's sake!

Edited February 19, 2013 by No_Pressure

[dfitzo53]

Dishwasher install went pretty smoothly except for one snag. The old hole in the cabinet wall for the hot water hose won't work for the new dishwasher. It's not far back enough, so the dishwasher can't be pushed all the way in. Just have to grab a drill bit big enough to do the job tomorrow and I'll be good to go.

[Springfield]

Yes. Buy a gas only. Do not buy electric tankless

Major problem... I don't have gas at my house at all. Should I just opt for as large of a water heater I can fit then?

[chipwhich]

Yes. Buy a gas only. Do not buy electric tankless. They do not work

And if you buy gas, buy the largest one they make. They will tell you that you don't need it. They are dumb. Trust me. Buy big.

Confused by the post. If I have gas, and deciding on going tankless, should I do it or buy the biggest hot water heater I can buy.

I have a 75 gallon water heater (gas) which has worked well, but I think it is coming near end of life. I was considering going gas tankless.

[Bubble Screen]

$170. That's why I said screw it, I'll do it myself.

Oh, I see. Can't blame you there.

---------- Post added February-20th-2013 at 01:26 AM ----------

And No_Pressure that's a helluva nice looking retaining wall if you did that yourself. That's excellent.

[PCS]

Well I guess that takes care of the retaining wall part. Though I did help put in one that was around 90 feet in length and 4feet in height using pavers and it came out pretty good. Still there and doing well as far as I know.

I have a gas tankless in this house. Works very well,but as with all of them,takes a minute to get water up to temp. Cons. Electric uses a lot of power while in use. Remember,it has to heat water to temp so that alone is going to draw power. So much so,that in some houses,it's necessary to add to the present electricity in the house. It will take it longer to bring it up to temp too,(if memory serves). Running two showers at the same time doesn't work too well,(same goes for the gas kind as well),hence why a larger one is needed. We have a smaller gas one and it's not all that fond of heating two sources at the same time. Especially when the two sources it's trying to supply hot water to are in two very different areas of the house. Running a gas line can be expensive as well if one isn't already there by the way. I researched them heavily for my condo,(not necessary as it's one bedroom),and when helping my fiance' with buying this house. Lot's of good info out there.

Speaking of which,it's getting in to that time of year when the temps begin to climb some more,so it's about time for the outdoor work,(extensive ),to start. Cleaning and sealing eaves. Putting in eave vents,then screening them off so every living thing in the area doesn't try to move in to them. :mad: Trading out the vents to the crawl space is part of the gig too. And that's just the first week. :whew:

Edited February 20, 2013 by Park City Skins

[Mr. Sinister]

The cleaning and screening off eave vents was a good place to start. There's no telling what kind of Hellish surprises could've been waiting for you later on in the year if you forgot to do it.

[PCS]

We moved in last August and it was pretty obvious the previous owner wasn't interested in keeping things out. There was one bird nest,a half dozen or so hornets nests,and about 50% of the eaves had a pretty interesting looking spider living in them. I kept them around a bit to help guard the perimeter until I could catch up with things. I'm loading up on the Ortho already.

[Elessar78]

Well I guess that takes care of the retaining wall part. Though I did help put in one that was around 90 feet in length and 4feet in height using pavers and it came out pretty good. Still there and doing well as far as I know.

I'm always open to more info and guidance on the retaining wall, so if you have more to share I'd welcome it!

[PCS]

I'd have to look at that a bit more,but right now I'd say no_pressure covered it pretty well. Don't forget to do a lot of research yourself too.

*

We just started a minor,cosmetic remodel in the kitchen. Took out the peninsula,(it sucked anyway),and put a nice,older,yellow pine buffet with hutch against the wall it took up. Made it a coffee bar along with using it as storage for a few appliances we have. Immediate impact on the room. The major remodels happen down the road when the money is there and when I'm done raising the floor back up and redoing the stuff below and possibly above the kitchen. Structure stuff.

[zoony]

Confused by the post. If I have gas, and deciding on going tankless, should I do it or buy the biggest hot water heater I can buy.

I have a 75 gallon water heater (gas) which has worked well, but I think it is coming near end of life. I was considering going gas tankless.

Buy the biggest gas tankless. They are rated by output.

You want. Something that will work if you have two showers going while dishwasher is running in February when groundwater is 48. The medium won't work. They will try to sell you the medium. They always do.

Put a few extra hundred up front. You will not regret it

[chipwhich]

Buy the biggest gas tankless. They are rated by output.

You want. Something that will work if you have two showers going while dishwasher is running in February when groundwater is 48. The medium won't work. They will try to sell you the medium. They always do.

Put a few extra hundred up front. You will not regret it

Thanks, I will look into it. My only other question is they say they require special ventilation. I have a ventilation pipe for my existing HW heater. Does that mean they would have to run a new ventilation pipe "certified" to work with the tankless? My basement is finished now, not sure I would want to run a new pipe to the outside as my HW heater sits under my stairwell which is in the center of the basement...meaning it's not sitting next to an exterior wall.

[zoony]

Thanks, I will look into it. My only other question is they say they require special ventilation. I have a ventilation pipe for my existing HW heater. Does that mean they would have to run a new ventilation pipe "certified" to work with the tankless? My basement is finished now, not sure I would want to run a new pipe to the outside as my HW heater sits under my stairwell which is in the center of the basement...meaning it's not sitting next to an exterior wall.

Ventilation was the sticking point for me, there was not enough room in my crawl space because of ventilation requirements. The vent pipe is large... 3 or 4" iirc.

I spent a lot of time researching only to find out at the very end installation wasn't possible. Several friends have them... They ALL wish they'd gotten the bigger unit. The salesman for the Natural Gas company vehemently tried to talk me out of the largest unit saying I didn't need it. This happened to everyone I talked to... Strange

Research your ground water temperature for your area. The hot water heater has to work much harder in Virginia than Florida. Heating 50 degree water up to 100 degrees is much tougher than heating 70 degree water to 100 degrees.

[China]

Yeah they had to install a new vent for our tankless system. I think it's 4", but regardless the vent from the old tank water heater was not sufficient. They made an entirely new vent.

Edited February 21, 2013 by China

[chipwhich]

Thanks, I will have to check and see if I even want to make the switch.

[GoSkins0721]

Yeah they had to install a new vent for our tankless system. I think it's 4", but regardless the vent from the old tank water heater was not sufficient. They made an entirely new vent.

Yep, new venting requirements for all new gas equipment (hot water heater, furnace). Not sure what year it went into effect and I don't know the details. But I had my water heater & furnace replaced about 2 years ago (house built in the early 90's) and they ran the vent out the back of the garage wall instead of up through the roof. Both the water heater & furnace are in the garage. They capped off the old vent that goes up through the roof.

[chipwhich]

My house is 8 years old, maybe my pipe is new enough?

[PCS]

Had an inspector,(best in town. Known for being meticulous and a hard ass),come in and look at the foundation of the house. :whew: Easy fix. Looks like I've got one more thing for the Spring to do list but this is a good one and a relief. Get that floor raised and then I can really go to town on the interior stuff.

[HOF44]

Had an inspector,(best in town. Known for being meticulous and a hard ass),come in and look at the foundation of the house. :whew: Easy fix. Looks like I've got one more thing for the Spring to do list but this is a good one and a relief. Get that floor raised and then I can really go to town on the interior stuff.

That's good to hear I bet! Foundation problems run into HUGE money sometimes.

[PCS]

True that. Foundation work can really cost. I was expecting some bad news,but didn't get it. Whew.

[dfitzo53]

Update for anyone who cares - the dishwasher works like a champ. Took two tries to get the hot water hose on tight enough to prevent leaks. I don't think I had enough Teflon tape on the first time.

The next day the bathroom faucet broke. The hot water handle just snapped right off in wifey's hand. She picked out a new bronze fixture at Home Depot and I installed it the next night. Good excuse to buy a couple new tools, like a basin wrench which was a life saver. The hardest part was getting the old fixture out. Took some WD-40, some elbow grease and a lot of patience. Putting the new one in was comparatively easy.

[LD0506]

Update for anyone who cares - the dishwasher works like a champ. Took two tries to get the hot water hose on tight enough to prevent leaks. I don't think I had enough Teflon tape on the first time.

The next day the bathroom faucet broke. The hot water handle just snapped right off in wifey's hand. She picked out a new bronze fixture at Home Depot and I installed it the next night. Good excuse to buy a couple new tools, like a basin wrench which was a life saver. The hardest part was getting the old fixture out. Took some WD-40, some elbow grease and a lot of patience. Putting the new one in was comparatively easy.

Woohoo! And you're on your way. This is how you get to be "handy", one job at a time, one tool at a time, looking for that next dose of satisfaction from "I did it! and I can handle that too!"

Just a sidebar on the sink fix, I've found that frequently getting the old one off IS the job, and faucets,etc., have a lot of wet/dry gunk, old soap, etc., gluing them in place. Nowadays plumbing is kinda fragile (PVC, etc) and you can't really torque it without courting disaster and more trips for parts. I've used a small, household steamer unit that cleans gunk, gently heats it up and wets it enough to act as a lubricant so that the old fittings come right apart.

[Koolblue13]

My gas stove is weak. It's actually pretty common here. I don't see any regulators to adjust either. I need more fire to cook my style properly.

Anything I can do?

[PCS]

Update for anyone who cares - the dishwasher works like a champ. Took two tries to get the hot water hose on tight enough to prevent leaks. I don't think I had enough Teflon tape on the first time.

The next day the bathroom faucet broke. The hot water handle just snapped right off in wifey's hand. She picked out a new bronze fixture at Home Depot and I installed it the next night. Good excuse to buy a couple new tools, like a basin wrench which was a life saver. The hardest part was getting the old fixture out. Took some WD-40, some elbow grease and a lot of patience. Putting the new one in was comparatively easy.

:silly:

[twa]

My gas stove is weak. It's actually pretty common here. I don't see any regulators to adjust either. I need more fire to cook my style properly.

Anything I can do?

change to a larger size orifice or drill it out a bit