Just because there is an induction stove does not mean ventilation is no longer needed. Cooking produces a lot of things that aren’t necessarily good for you to inhale. Consider adding an appropriately sized hood. You may end up needing this duct.
It looks like they’re veneered. The way I’d go about it would be giving them a sand/removing the remaining veneer and then either paint them or apply new veneer.
This is definitely the way I’d go about it too, but on the off chance OP tends more towards the crafts side of the spectrum, make it into a fun art project?
If you screw it up you’re right back to the beginning, remove, sand, start over.
Yeah I was thinking about getting a bit wacky with it, but I’m not sure if my husband would be on board. But I’ll start with removing the vaneer and sanding down, definitely. Thanks!
I would sand 'em down, apply filler (bought, or you could, as I did, use some of the dust + wood glue) to where ever there’s a big scratch or chunk missing, and for the final step, apply varnish or something like linseed oil (if the wood has a nice grain). Just did all that in an old flat my family and I are currently renovating! Hope that helps. :)
I forgot to mention: If the old veneer is coated with kinda thickish laquer, you should try how sanding works; if it’s hard work, you could try a hot-air gun on it. You can then either scrape the old coating off while it’s hot, or burn it kinda crispy - it should make the sanding-down process a lot easier.
But wear proper masks for all those steps and make sure there’s enough air flow!
Edit: Be careful not to burn the wood if you try that method! :P
It’s gonna be hard and time-consuming work if you do it like I did, but the result is worth it.
It’s hard to tell, but that looks like an old scab for that opening. Someone took a spare 2x4 and added to that opening to add more strength to that area. However it looks like it was poorly done. Regardless, the 2x4 is compromised and the red-wood 2x4 isn’t fully nailed into the footer. I am not a carpenter, but if I were you, I’d build a proper frame for whatever you’re trying to install in that opening. Found this good example of what I’m talking about: [rogueengineer.com/installing-a-window-in-a-blank-…]
The red 2x4 is the one I want to move/remove. I just need to get in that opening to insulate (was half done/ poorly done / very old). I know framing that hole would be the proper way, and I may, but I'm not trying to add more to my list right now.
Totally understood. From the looks of it, neither 2x4 is properly bearing weight. Placing new, non-cut, 2x4s on either side of the opening and tying them together with a sill plate is probably better than what you currently have.
The one 2x4 that’s notched might be connected to the other webs that form the truss? If that’s the case I wouldn’t be removing that one. It’s hard to say what the red one is doing, is it directly below a roof joist that makes up part of that flat roof section? You could pull it out (the building won’t fall down) run another plate on the top about 30" long and add two new boards 24" apart and that would be sufficient.
Yeah, my assumption is the notched one is part of the original build and that the red one might have been added when the roof was last done (I just bought the house this year, not sure of history but I know the roof is overdue to replace). Why add another top plate?
If you get a wood filler get an epoxy based wood filler. You may need to order it online, I’ve had trouble finding it at the normal hardware stores.
It’ll last forever and be more durable than the wood itself. Might be overkill for an indoor fix, but it’s not any pricier. I’ve used it to repair wood rot on outdoor window fixtures and it works great.
Just a word of advice. It’s tempting to add a bunch because you’re going to sand it down level anyway. But it takes FOREVER to sand if you don’t have a sander so try to make it level as best you can while you’re applying it.
If you’re going to paint them then it might be worth trying to fill the missing areas and sand. I don’t think you could ever expect to repair this so it can be stained though. Only a new veneer over the entire side could do that and that’ll likely cost you more than a new door.
Hanging a new door is easier than you might think though, especially if it’s pre-hung.
I might check salvage yards and see if you can find doors in your sizes. Most doors can be cut at least an inch or even two off the sides or bottom.
I’ve never dealt with it on my own home, fortunately, but I used to work in real estate purchase/sale/title litigation and the amount of fly-by-night “inspectors” that would plague my clients with this garbage is truly shocking. I always recommend that home buyers hire a structural engineer, a plumber, and an electrician, plus other experts on a case-by-case basis, not a home inspector (or other types of rando inspectors), for their pre-purchase due diligence. Yes, it is absolutely more expensive up front than a home inspector, but it’s also WAY cheaper than buying a house with serious, possibly irreparable, structural issues that you don’t find out about until 2 years after closing.
The worst, though, were the tree removal “experts.” A huge number of them didn’t seem to care whether the house was still standing after they removed the tree that fell on it, and I ran across more than a few that had some truly questionable billing practices, if not outright fraudulent. I’m sure there are plenty of good ones out there, but boy it didn’t feel like it.
Good on you, OP, for doing the right thing for you and your home! I hope you have many happy and structurally sound years in it!
Oh man, I can second the tree removal experts. We have a corner lot with a lot of large mature trees, and we get tree services knocking on our door monthly, telling us we should cut all of our trees down to “protect the house”. We were concerned enough to hire a certified arborist who worked with an engineering firm, who came out for a couple hundred dollars, assessed our trees, and told us all those companies were morons and our trees were just a bunch of nice healthy oaks.
I grew up in poor mountain areas. Our local tree guy (name was Woody) also did cheap home repairs. He certaintly was not certified or an expert but he would do it pretty cheap along with other odd jobs. He would be the first to tell you if it was something he couldn’t do and he always smelled funny but did a great job.
As an adult I can’t believe my parents hired him but we were really poor and needed a tree to come down before it crushed our house so I suppose desperation played a part.
the house im renting had been losing mortar in the chimney. im not a brick layer or anything but even i know once you lose so much its only a matter of time before one or more bricks succumbs to gravity. im not sure what they had to do but its been a lot better since they took care of it.
Most static cracks are fine. Cracks that are moving, changing, etc are dynamic and should be inspected by a professional.
I have an ADU that has a huge crack in the slab foundation. But it’s probably been there for 10+ years. I’ll need to spend $20k to dig it out and fix it, or I can simply mostly ignore it.
I live in Canada where it often gets below -20c in the winter. I have a cheap electric water heater (eco smart) and it does our house of two people fine. It’s a little slow to fill our tub, though. Cold weather has nothing to do with tankless vs storage water heaters. The company we hire to do our plumbing and HVAC installs in new homes we build often recommends Navien gas water heaters. They work great at high flow rates but require direct ventilation of the combustion gas. The last two homes I built used Navien tankless heaters and the home owners are extremely happy with them. Talk to a different installer in your area. HVAC contractors are probably to be the most knowledgeable.
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