My friend is buying an old brownstone in Brooklyn that needs to be gut renovated. The question is how accurate the contractor estimate is and should he account for cost overruns, if so, by how much? [more inside]
posted by pakoothefakoo on Nov 9, 2009 - 15 answers

Can I put a piece of furniture - sofa? bookcase? - in front of a 5 foot installed electric baseboard heater without burning my house down? The guy who did our renovations, who we like and trust a lot, insisted when he installed it that it would be perfectly safe to put a sofa right in front of the heater, which would prevent our kids from sticking their hands in it and possibly burning themselves. But now that I see how hot it gets, I'm afraid our house will go up in flames. That would not be good. What say you, electric-baseboard-heater-owning-Mefites?
posted by missuswayne on Oct 27, 2008 - 15 answers

Hey there, Torontonian-on-a-budget remodelers and refurbishers! I want to reglaze/refinish and re-tile my bathtub (and install new hardware), and I also want to refinish a dining table and chairs, and also reupholster the chairs' seats. Please refer to me your non-scammer budget-priced reasonably-proficient craftspeople. (Random refinishers from the yellow pages or with those displays in malls all seem pretty sketchy, so i'm looking for referrals for people you've had previous experience with.) [more inside]
posted by Kololo on Jan 2, 2008 - 4 answers

After what has felt like months of waiting, it now looks as though I may very soon have a new flat (yay!) and need builders to carry out renovations in that flat. Although several friends of mine have made recommendations, I am having trouble finding recommended builders who work in (very) central London, WC1 to be precise. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by sueinnyc on Nov 25, 2007 - 6 answers

What do I need to know about renovating a kitchen? [more inside]
posted by phoenixc on Jan 7, 2006 - 15 answers

This December, I'm moving into a house to begin remodeling and cleaning it out. I can do pretty much whatever I want with it...so what should I do? {specifics inside} [more inside]
posted by amandaudoff on Sep 16, 2004 - 26 answers

I just installed floating engineered floors downstairs. There is apparently a fairly substantial but narrow depression in the middle of the room, which I missed when checking the floor. How can I fix this now that the floor is laid? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by RustyBrooks on Aug 10, 2004 - 8 answers

Home renovation: quick road to profits, or a disaster-in-waiting? If you have experience or advice, please come inside.. [more inside]
posted by five fresh fish on Jul 23, 2004 - 18 answers

For you home improvement types - we moved into our first house last July, and since then I've been battling some mold in the shower. It's not bad, but despite my attempts to banish it, the critters keep coming back - right at the seam where the shower wall meets the tub.

Will simply recaulking the seam fix it, or will it eventually come back through the new caulk as well? Any, ahem, natural remedies for ridding our shower of the stuff?
posted by tr33hggr on Jan 7, 2004 - 7 answers