c/edmonton-home-reno

Neighbor swore by spray foam insulation, I went with batts and saved big

My neighbor kept saying spray foam was the only way to seal an Edmonton attic, but I did R60 fiberglass batts myself for about $900 last fall. My heating bill dropped 30% and I never had frost issues on the roof. Has anyone else had good luck with the old school approach up here?

Patched a hole in my drywall using toothpaste as a test

So I had this tiny nail pop in my hallway drywall. Didn't want to haul out joint compound and make a mess. I'd seen a random post about using white toothpaste as a quick filler. Figured I'd try it on a small spot. Three days later it dried rock hard and sanded down smooth. Painted right over it and you can't even see it. Honestly blew my mind for a $2 tube of Crest. Has anyone else had a weird temp fix that just stuck around for years?

Checked out that new flooring place on 99 Street

Went to that new tile and hardwood place that opened up near the old Rona. They had a whole display of laminate that looked like it was made for a spaceship, silver and shiny. Has anyone else seen that stuff or am I just out of touch with current trends?

That big box store on 99 Street sold me the wrong furnace filter size

I went to the Home Show last weekend and a HVAC guy pointed out my filter was 1 inch too narrow. Been running it wrong for 6 months. Anyone else had a contractor catch a simple mistake like that?

My plumber neighbor changed how I look at PEX vs copper

Was over at Bob's place last Saturday helping him swap out a kitchen faucet. He's been doing plumbing in Edmonton for 30 years. I asked him why he still uses copper for new builds when PEX is so much cheaper and easier. He said 'sure it's easier today but wait till you have a mouse chew through a line in January.' That comment hit me hard because I never think about long term problems when I reno. Has anyone else had a contractor make you see your own work differently?

Question about mixing drywall compound for small patches

I used to just open a bucket of premixed all-purpose for every little nail pop repair but it always cracked on me. Tried adding a splash of water and mixing it with a drill for 60 seconds and now my patches look smooth as anything. Anyone else notice premixed needs thinning way more than the bucket says?

My basement floor drain backed up into the furnace room at 2am

Honestly, I thought a floor drain was a simple thing that just worked. Nope. Last Tuesday around 2am I woke up to water creeping across the basement floor because the drain was clogged with 6 years of drywall dust and paint chips from previous renos. I had to rent a commercial drain snake from Home Depot on 170 St and spend 3 hours clearing a massive clog about 12 feet in. Has anyone else had their floor drain fail from old construction debris?

Why is everyone using pressure treated plywood for basement subfloors in Edmonton?

I ripped up a floor last week that was installed just three years ago and the pressure treated plywood was already warped and cupping from the humidity down there. My buddy at Rona told me they sell it to guys all the time for basements but it's way too wet for our climate when it's fresh. Am I the only one who thinks standard OSB with a proper vapor barrier is the better call up here?

Old plumber told me to stop using sharkbite fittings

He said they fail after 5-7 years in Edmonton's hard water. Switched to crimp rings and havent had a leak since. Anyone else ditch the push fittings?

Hot take: City permits are a total scam for small renos

I was gonna redo my basement bathroom in Edmonton last month. Figured I needed a permit for the plumbing rough-in. Called the city and they told me it would be $450 and take 3 to 5 weeks to review. Are you kidding me? I talked to a guy at Rona who said most people just pull the toilet and do the work without a permit for stuff like this. Found a stat online that says less than 20% of small bathroom renos in Edmonton ever get permitted. So I skipped it. Saved $450 and finished the whole thing in a week. Has anyone else here just ignored permits for small jobs?

Hit 2000 square feet of drywall mudding in one go and I think people are wrong about taping

Everybody on here says to tape your drywall joints with mesh tape but I went back to paper tape for my basement reno. I did 2000 square feet in one straight shot last Saturday morning and the paper tape gave me way less bubbles and wrinkles. The old timers say paper is better because it shrinks less and I gotta agree after trying both ways. Mesh tape might be faster for patching but for long seams in a big room paper wins every time. I used a 6 inch knife for the first coat and it was way easier to control than the bigger ones people recommend. Anyone else find that paper tape gives you a smoother finish or am I just old school?

Walked into Summit Tools on the south side last weekend and they actually had the Festool tracksaw in stock

I've been calling around for weeks trying to find one without ordering online and paying shipping. The guy at the counter said they got a shipment Thursday and already sold half of them. Grabbed the last 55 inch rail they had. Anyone else find random good stock at local places lately?

Torn between hiring a pro for $4,500 or DIYing my own basement subfloor after a flood

Took me 3 years to realize my table saw blade was on backwards

I was at a job site last Tuesday helping a buddy frame his basement, and he walks over, looks at my saw, and goes "dude, your teeth are pointing the wrong way." I've been running my Skil 10 inch blade backwards for like 3 years. I always thought it was just dull because it was burning everything and kicking back like crazy. I even bought a new blade last month thinking the old one was shot. Soon as he flipped it around, the thing cut through a 2x4 like butter, no joke. Has anyone else had one of those facepalm moments where you realize you've been doing some basic tool setup wrong for way too long?

Changed my mind about using spray foam in my Edmonton basement

I was dead set on using fiberglass batts for my basement reno because they're cheap and I've done them before. But after talking to a guy at Home Depot on 99 Street, he convinced me to try the closed-cell spray foam for the rim joists at least. I figured I'd spend maybe $200 on that part, but the total came to $450 for the kit. The difference though was insane - my basement went from feeling drafty to actually warm, and the air quality test I did later showed way less dust coming through. The trick he told me was to use a infrared thermometer (you know, one of those laser ones) to find all the cold spots first before spraying. I still used batts for the walls to save money, but combining both methods cut my heating bill by about 15% this January. Has anyone else mixed different insulation types in their Edmonton basement?

That cheap spray foam from Home Depot cost me $600 in cleanup

I used the big canisters of Great Stuff on my basement rim joists and it expanded way more than expected, dripping all over my new concrete floor. Had to pay a guy with a grinder to scrape it all off. Anyone else have trouble with that stuff getting out of control?

Plywood subfloor spacing hack from a flooring install I watched

Was at a friend's house last week watching his crew lay down new subfloor. Saw them leave a 1/8 inch gap between every sheet. Foreman said it stops squeaks when things expand. Tried it on my basement reno this weekend. No creaks at all so far. Cost me nothing extra just a little planning. Anyone else do this or just screw them tight?

Just realized half the people on my block are using the wrong insulation for our winters

My attic was freezing after a new layer of fiberglass batts, but switching to spray foam made a $150 difference on my last Enmax bill. Anyone else in Edmonton find a specific product that actually works here?

Appreciation post: My basement floor paint job at my place in Mill Woods went totally wrong

I tried using that Rust-Oleum epoxy kit from Home Depot on my concrete floor last month, thinking it would be an easy weekend job. I cleaned it super well with acid etch and everything, but the paint just wouldn't stick right in a big patch near the drain. Turns out the old concrete was sealed with something I didn't know about, so now it's all peeling. Anyone in Edmonton dealt with this and know a good way to strip it without wrecking the slab?

My basement floor drain backed up during a demo last winter

I was pulling out the old carpet in my Mill Woods basement when I saw water pooling near the wall. The main floor drain had frozen and backed up, soaking the new drywall I'd just put up. I had to rent a big heater from Home Depot for two days to thaw the line before I could even start cleaning. Has anyone else had a drain freeze up like that during a reno?

Warning: I thought spray foam was just a pricey trend for Edmonton basements

My dad did our old house with fiberglass batts back in the 90s, and I figured that was the only way. When we redid our Mill Woods basement last fall, the contractor pushed for closed-cell spray foam in the rim joists. I was sure it was a waste of money. But after that first cold snap hit minus 30, the floor above stayed warm and our heating bill dropped by about 40 bucks a month. What other old-school methods have you guys found just don't cut it anymore?

Just read that Edmonton's average basement reno cost jumped 18% in a year

I was looking at a city report on building permits from the library website, and it said the average price for a finished basement here is now around $45,000. That's a huge jump from what my neighbor paid just a couple years back. Are people still finding ways to do these projects for less, or is that just the new normal?

Update: My basement sump pump gave out during that heavy rain on Tuesday

I mean, I knew it was old, but I figured it would at least make it through spring. Water started coming up through the floor drain around 8 PM. I had to run to Home Depot on 137th Ave, grab a new Zoeller pump, and swap it in the dark with a flashlight. My feet were soaked for hours. Has anyone else had to do a panic pump replacement like that, and is there a better brand I should look at for next time?

Shoutout to the 12 mil poly for my basement floor

I just laid down 1200 square feet of it and the moisture reading on the slab dropped by 3 points. Anyone have a good Edmonton supplier for the tape that actually seals the seams?

Just hit a $12,000 quote for a new sewer line in Bonnie Doon

I was getting a few estimates for a basement reno and the sewer scope showed a full collapse. The first contractor came back with a number that made my heart stop. It's a huge chunk of change I didn't plan for, and it has to be fixed before any other work can start. Has anyone else had to deal with a surprise sewer replacement in an older neighborhood here?