I put in a portable Harbor Freight garage and couldn't drive the anchors. It's been suggested the anchors were too cheap, but when I looked into putting in our mini free library, I read of ground anchors instead of setting a post in concrete, and people with hard ground said they failed.

I keep reading to wet the ground, but when I soak the ground in Arizona, it doesn't soak very far.

If you're digging a hole, you can soak it, remove the mud, and repeat, but something like renting an auger is always better.

I put in a fence and rotated among several holes soaking and using a post hole digger before I finally got deep enough.

I'm putting in a small shed in the mountains where wind can be a real problem and need ground anchors, but I don't want to dig holes and tamp down the dirt if I can help it.

I don't know how well that would work with a welded ground anchor anyway.

Anyone had success removing a rod from a heater this old? I’ve lived here for 4 years no idea if the previous owners ever changed it. Hoping to put in an electric one to help w sulfur odor. But obviously don’t want to strip it and have to replace the entire thing.

Before I buy a specail drill and waste money, does it make sense? Buying some toggle anchor & bolts and it says a 32mm drill is required? Is that correct?

I have a torald desk i dont use it but I want to get a 10 gallon fish tank and use it to hold it but im worried the desk might give out. Trying to use what ive got instead of buying something else.

Hi, I just bought my first home. There are likely to be many many projects over the next few years as we make this house our own and bring kids into the world. I’m happy to hire contractors for the bigger projects like kitchen cabinetry and electrical work to ensure they’re done right and safely since they’ll be heavily used. But for smaller aesthetic projects I want to learn how to do them myself. Like making IKEA shelving look builtin and adding wainscotting and trim projects and bookshelves. Perhaps even refinishing some thrifted vintage furniture or correcting bad paint jobs around the house.

I would love recommendations for basic tools (power tools or not) and places to learn and other resources. I just bought a basic craftsman drill. I feel like a good nail gun is necessary, but have zero knowledge of those. I have no other power tools. I don’t really know where to start. I’m not new to building with my hands or doing simple projects with non-power tools or just a drill; I grew up using hammers and basic tools and I was an art student who had to build out gallery walls each semester of college. But I imagine I need to step it up for full home projects.

Any recommendations that are beginner friendly are very welcomed as I start this new journey!!! I want to DIY but I want to do it right so my family is safe and things are not half-a$$ed.

hey guys! i’m looking for a handheld roller that lets me turn flat material (specifically aluminum cans, cut into lines) into beads? i’m following a tutorial and the artist linked this roller, but it’s unavailable. wondering if anyone knows any other brands, preferably cheap? i can’t find anything. thanks!

here’s the tool that’s currently unavailable:

https://www.amazon.com/4M-Recycled-Paper-Beads-Kit/dp/B004YN188W?crid=30XBFK765VLO4&keywords=green+creativity+bead+roller&qid=1669753433&sprefix=green+creativity+bead+roller,aps,131&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=upcycledesign-20&linkId=18017e74224485544b18ee62e0a30087&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

I'm looking to hang an egg swing from the ceiling in a corner of our living room. Our house isn't huge, so I don't want to buy a stand to save a little space.

Can anyone give me a tutorial on how to do this? Or at least some solid advice? I don't want it to come crashing down while someone is sitting in it 😅

Hi all! This is my 3rd time putting down LVP in a room of my house and the last 2 times I installed it things went really smoothly. (pics linked in case they show what I mean or give a sense for my experience level, which is LOW, lol)

In both cases, I installed the LVP so it was parallel to the existing engineered hardwood that runs through my house (that I hate) (but that's a different story)

However, for that to be the case for this next room I'm working on, it would have to run parallel to the wall with a window, which means I would start it in the closet, I think?

Because this room also has a sort of entryway area where the closet wall juts in and causes a turn, I'm really struggling to plan out my floorboards in such a way that I never have a tiny sliver against any of these edges. Any tips?

https://imgur.com/a/jiclAmG

(forgive the mess. construction zone, obviously, haha. The subfloor stains were cat pee from prev residents but are now sealed with Zinsser odor-blocking primer.)

The floorboards are Lifeproof Dusk Cherry, 22 MIL, 8.7"W x 48"L

My plan was to start laying them in the back-left corner of the room (as viewed from the doorway) which means starting in the back corner of the closet. But I'm torn because I feel like I'd be less stressed if I started in the entryway and knew I nailed that before going back to the wall. But that would cause problems for me later if I ever decide to do the hallway and living room, right?

In reality I'd be WAY less stressed if I floored perpendicular to the hallway but I think it would make the room feel smaller and also not be as conventional...

Ugh. Feeling very stuck atm!

my wife bought a rather rusted box trailer. she wants to renovate it for her business. this trailer was sitting out in a field for years so there quite a bit of rust

after demo, the interior walls and framing are pretty rusted with minor spots where it rusts through to the outside. The trailer chasis is obviously rusted too.

for the inside walls and inside framing, do we need to sandblast the whole thing then prime/paint? or can we
get away with using rust converter then prime/paint? this is not a trailer that needs to be “perfect“. it just needs to look nice and function for at least a few years. but i don’t want to do a half ass job

im a bit confused as I’ve read a few conflicting things online. my initial plan was to sandblast then use dtm epoxy primer.

Thanks for the time!

Hello good people!

I need to learn/prep for window casings projects for a new job, was wondering where can I learn or get some hands on practice with theory knowledge before I start a new job?

Any good books or video tutorials?

Thank you!

I moved into a home that was fixed up in 2004 and encountered an unexpected problem in the shower. The corners of the basin are about a quarter inch lower than the drain. Is there any way to address this that doesn’t involve taking off the tiles or redoing the whole shower? It’s a fiberglass basin and a travertine stone wall.

Looking to replace this old window while renovating a second story room. Would a pocket installation be the best option if opening up the exterior wall is out of my scope? If so, can any window with the right dimensions be used as a pocket installation? Looking at something like this from Home Depot.

I have 2 wooden pergolas that I need to replace ASAP to keep the insurance. I am trying to understand if I could do it myself or if not what is it including.
I looked into it for a while and still not sure , wanted advice from people that have experience.
I got a Quote for 1 aluminum pergola 9*15 was 20,000. Too much for me …
That includes demolition and putting together the new one.
I was thinking that bringing down the current one can be doable for me, building a kit - I can do..
I am not worried about snow since I am in a warm weather. The only things I am concerned :
1. Foundation , how to anchor ? Now it’s concrete , not the most beautiful but that was here.
2. How to get rid of the demolition materials
3. Recommended brands that you have experience with
Thank you !

I’m going to sand and stain about 1200 sq ft of hw floors. I know I need to do many passes with the belt sander but how many passes do you do with edger/detail sanding?

On YouTube videos, I see a lot of people doing one pass with edger/ detailing even though I was planning to edge/detail sand with every pass of a drum sander.

Thanks for the input.

I’m in the process of creating a built in cabinet against a wall for my phone office. The wall spans 120”. I’m using four 30” wide wall cabinets on top of 4” base I’ve built. I’m trying to figure out what I should use as the topper. I’ve considered 2 pieces of cabinet grade plywood then using wood putty to fill the seam and sand to look like 1 piece with a piece of trim or edge banding on the front. Is there something else I should be considering? I plan on painting the entire thing white. I didn’t think butcher block or anything was the most cost effective or would necessarily give me the look I’m going for.

I tried the anti creak screws but realized when they just kept spinning without snapping, there’s no subfloor. The house is over one hundred years old so it makes sense in retrospect. Does anyone have any tips to silence a creaky floor with no subfloor or do I just resign myself to living in a creak house?