The Cellar » Adventures of Home Ownership

bbro · 10/03/2021 3:37 pm

The countdown is on. I've got 3 weeks before I relocate to the house completely. I'm working on a list of things that HAVE to be done before I move (like replacing the shower light I broke today). I have 2 weekends to get it all done. And I have to finish packing the apartment, too. It's gonna be a hectic 3 weeks

bbro · 10/03/2021 6:13 pm

I forgot to include some pictures!

My 90% finished gym

Master bathroom shower light

I took pictures of all the cabinets in the kitchen to start planning where things are going to go. It feels like a lot of room if I was only putting in dishes, but it's also going to be food storage. Excuse the mess

glatt · 10/03/2021 7:16 pm

There's tile on the ceiling in the shower? I haven't seen that too often, nice touch.

It makes me nervous having electricity IN a shower, but the ceiling should stay relatively dry, and lights in showers are legal as long as they are rated for wet locations.

If you replace the entire fixture, be sure you get something rated for a wet location. It might be a special order that you won't find in Home Depot.

I can't read the writing on that fixture, but if you can, see if you can find the model number and get the glass/plastic cover that goes with it so you know if it is compatible and will still be waterproof.

Exciting times! You're in the home stretch.

bbro · 10/03/2021 7:36 pm

glatt wrote:
There's tile on the ceiling in the shower? I haven't seen that too often, nice touch.

It makes me nervous having electricity IN a shower, but the ceiling should stay relatively dry, and lights in showers are legal as long as they are rated for wet locations.

If you replace the entire fixture, be sure you get something rated for a wet location. It might be a special order that you won't find in Home Depot.

I can't read the writing on that fixture, but if you can, see if you can find the model number and get the glass/plastic cover that goes with it so you know if it is compatible and will still be waterproof.

Exciting times! You're in the home stretch.

I can't wait to be in the house. It'll be much less stress than driving back and forth multiple times a week

I actually did find one at Home Depot. There's lots of them. I went with one that will just screw into the light bulb hole. It's wet rated. I did see just covers, but the light us under $20, so I figured why not. Cross your fingers it fits! The writing on the fixture is just for the type of light bulb to use: "...for at least 150 (degree symbol)....Watt ? (number I can't see). I'll have to check to make sure it's 60 or below next time I'm there.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/EnviroLite-5-in-6-in-3000K-Soft-White-Integrated-LED-Recessed-CEC-T20-Baffle-Trim-in-Brushed-Nickel-EVL6733CBN30/313925005#overlay

monster · 10/03/2021 8:56 pm

I have shower light envy

bbro · 10/06/2021 6:15 pm

monster wrote:
I have shower light envy

Then don't look below

Replaced light and shower head

I'm also trying to figure out what to do with this. Like, do I just leave it? Cover it with something? Not that it would matter, because the "white" silicone caulking I bought is clear, so you can still see all the holes from the enclosure :|

ETA - I think I found something!!
https://www.stickpretty.com/product-category/tile-decals/

Last edited by bbro (10/06/2021 7:06 pm)

xoxoxoBruce · 10/06/2021 8:03 pm

That would probably work if you got the holes smooth first. At $2.60 to $2.90 each for the 4¼" square, you don't want to screw them up.

bbro · 10/07/2021 7:28 am

xoxoxoBruce wrote:
That would probably work if you got the holes smooth first. At $2.60 to $2.90 each for the 4¼" square, you don't want to screw them up.

True, they are expensive. I still have some more searching to do, but I'm really trying to stay off amazon (not as successfully as I'd like, though). I don't think it would bother me if they weren't perfectly flat. I think I would just like to cover that exposed area somehow. The guest bath, I'd take some more care with to make sure it looked great.

Diaphone Jim · 10/07/2021 11:17 am

You can get a near perfect color match paint that might look OK.

BigV · 10/07/2021 8:51 pm

We've used those stickers to good effect.

We redid the bathroom upstairs a couple years ago and used those stickers on regular white tiles to create the backsplash for the sink area. They might be waterproof, but I noticed some ... erasure? when I was wiping the excess grout away. It's a super easy way to add some color and we both really like the effect. There's a regular DIY Bathroom remodel thread in there somewhere... in my pictures that is.

monster · 10/07/2021 10:03 pm

bbro wrote:
monster wrote:
I have shower light envy
Then don't look below

the pink tile made me lose any envy I might ever have had.......

bbro · 10/08/2021 7:23 am

@BigV- thanks! It's good to know that someone had some success. I was going to get blue ones for the shower stall and some black n white for the hall shower. I'm going to take some post its and work out a pattern for each.

Also, those tiles aren't pink, they're white. That must be the color coming from the light

Last edited by bbro (10/19/2021 5:06 pm)

bbro · 10/09/2021 8:21 am

I have a list of things to do today, but it's raining and I don't wanna.......

xoxoxoBruce · 10/09/2021 9:09 pm

If you don't wanna and do it anyway you have a 50%(made up number for illustration purposes) chance of screwing it up. Why take a chance, besides you've been pushing pretty hard, and the kids would enjoy your company.

bbro · 10/10/2021 8:31 am

xoxoxoBruce wrote:
If you don't wanna and do it anyway you have a 50%(made up number for illustration purposes) chance of screwing it up. Why take a chance, besides you've been pushing pretty hard, and the kids would enjoy your company.

I did some things. Small things like clean the bathrooms and start on the shelf liners. I got a 2 hr late start and came home a half hour earlier than I normally would, so, still cuddled the pups. No kids here.

griff · 10/10/2021 11:59 am

Sometimes we need to turn it down a little, you've been going pretty hard on this.

bbro · 10/10/2021 3:22 pm

griff wrote:
Sometimes we need to turn it down a little, you've been going pretty hard on this.

It's weird though, I feel like I spend hours over there and accomplish very little. Like today! I don't feel like I did much, but I was over there for five hours.

I did some quick caulking in the bathrooms, cut the drywall for the medicine cabinet (but ran into a wrinkle), finished the laundry room flooring (little strip on the side), tried to nail in molding (but it's stupid), started cutting thresholds, and hung some brackets in the sunroom to hold the curtain rods. Like, it looks like a lot, but it's just a couple little things. Nothing that should be taking five hours!!

bbro · 10/10/2021 7:57 pm

I think I decided on the tile stickers. These for the master (it's more blue than the pics show, I promise) https://www.stickpretty.com/product/around-the-world-mosaics/

And these for the hall. They'll compliment the new shower curtain I bought
https://www.stickpretty.com/product/ventnor-tile-decal/?attribute_pa_tile-decal-color=black&pewc_key=8d33cd7e49c4a2b7685c0d048a5661da

These ones are cheaper, but shipping would likely be more and take longer

Master:
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/blue-portuguese-tiles/ OR
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/blue-ones-stickers-for-tiles/ OR
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/blue-onyx-tile-stickers-pack-of-10/

Hall:
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/geometric-graphite-tiles-stickers/ OR
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/rabat-pattern-tile-stickers-pack-of-10/ OR
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/moroccan-stickers-for-tiles-pack-of-24/

And these would be cool for the kitchen
https://www.moonwallstickers.com/product/tile-stickers/spices-tiles-stickers/

There's also an etsy seller called SnazzyDecal that sells some at a more reasonable price. I just haven't had a chance to look through cause I'm tired and I still need a shower

griff · 10/11/2021 5:47 am

Those stickers are neat, you can change things up without getting into a big project.

xoxoxoBruce · 10/13/2021 3:57 pm

The stickers you chose are nice although I wouldn't put the blue onyx over the bar.
I'm surprised at the floor stickers, guess they require a very smooth backing.

bbro · 10/14/2021 5:23 pm

@griff - thanks. I figure I can hide the blemishes and make the bathrooms hold out longer until I redo them.

@bruce - good thing I'm going to put them in the bathroom I've actually decided to go with the stick pretty ones. They're more expensive per sticker, but it's cheaper over all and I won't have a large amount left over that I'd have to figure out stuff to do with.

The latest drama is that the dishwasher leaks, the ductwork needs replacing, and the attic insulation replacement is going to cost a lot more than I expected. But, I can finance the ductwork and attic stuff for 0% interest.....again. I'll have 3 of those going that I'll need to pay off by specific dates or get bit in the ass with interest.

And if I can't figure out the dishwasher, then that's another cost. I'm hoping it's just a gasket on the door because it wasn't a lot of water. *sigh* Cross your fingers

tw · 10/14/2021 9:53 pm

bbro wrote:
if I can't figure out the dishwasher, then that's another cost. I'm hoping it's just a gasket on the door because it wasn't a lot of water.

More often that door gasket is not leaking. The dishwasher is overfilling. A switch determines how much water is loaded. Sometimes that switch gets stuck or (in one rare case) needs adjusting.

At the bottom of its door is an air vent. Water comes out that vent when too high.

Remove its bottom cover. Lay out paper towels along the front and underneath various components and hoses. To learn where dripping is happening.

glatt · 10/15/2021 8:13 am

With all due respect I think overfilling is pretty rare. There are valves under the dishwasher that have rubber gaskets that dry out with age. The replacement gaskets are like $2.

Best thing to do is to take off the kickplate, and get comfortable laying down on the floor with a flashlight and small mirror and just run the thing and see where the leaking water is coming from. That will tell you so much more than some dudes on the internet.

Fixing a dishwasher is pretty easy. Mostly the issues are hard water deposits and debris in the lines clogging things, and gaskets drying out. Sometimes food scraps inside clogging things.

tw · 10/15/2021 6:25 pm

glatt wrote:
Best thing to do is to take off the kickplate, and get comfortable laying down on the floor with a flashlight and small mirror and just run the thing and see where the leaking water is coming from.

That is what paper towels do better. First identify where the drops are hitting the floor. Then carefully trace that stream back to its source. Manytimes that flow can be from some other place up to a foot from where the drips are seen.

That switch that overts excessive filling is simply one of so many parts that fail.

Another is a gasket on that switch or other parts. An easy fix. Loosen the part. Apply RTV where the gasket was removed.. Give it at least 12 hours to dry.

So many reasons why a dishwasher can leak. That water level switch was only an example of how something so trivial can be overlooked. But again, first use paper towels to learn what exists long before making any accusations.

Last edited by tw (10/15/2021 6:28 pm)

griff · 10/16/2021 7:28 am

It would be appropriate use the term attribution rather than accusation, to discuss this in a way which remains useful to solving the problem.