I was putting a mirror up and drilled into an external wall about 6ft off the floor. 5mm in I felt like I hit something so I stopped and had a look. (Image attached). I used a stud finder but it didn't detect anything!!!

Its on the same wall as the fuse box but it's not on the same line horizontally or vertically and there are no other outlets/sockets on that wall.

There's no water, gas smell or tripped electrics. Any help would be amazing. Even if it's the type of tradesman I need to call.

The house was built in the UK in the 70s.

UPDATE

I took away some more plaster and it's very obviously a wire. Although it isn't live and doesn't appear to go in the direction of anything. Potentially something the old homeowner installed/covered up.

https://imgur.com/a/BqofjRx

709

199 comments

36

Posted by10 hours ago

home improvement

Can I stain my own deck and pergola?

We moved in to our place a year ago in Chicago and I believe our deck and pergola are original (2007) - and have not been well maintained. I’d like to get the deck/pergola stained to look better, but I have no clue what I’m doing.

Is it worth trying to do this myself, or is this something I should just hire a professional for?

36

6 comments

84

Posted by16 hours ago

outdoor

[Help request] How to replace soldered outdoor spigot

Afternoon all,

I'm in a house that was originally built 1950 though I don't know how old this particular water fixture is.

Picture here.

I tried twisting it off with channel locks and quickly came to the realization this is probably soldered on.

My issue is that it is very low flow, like watering plants or washing a car is near impossible.

The water supply line comes from our basement which is equipped with a washing machine and a full bath, neither the washer, shower, toilet, or faucet have issues with flow/water pressure so I assume the issue is with the spigot (water pressure regulator is brand new btw).

Is there an easy way to increase the flow here? Or do I need to blowtorch this spigot, take it off, and then if so how do I get the new one on. My limited plumbing experience has always been with threaded fittings so this is new to me.

I appreciate any advice/help you all can provide, thanks!

84

24 comments

29

Posted by10 hours ago

other

60's chimney has no damper

I am looking into installing a top mount chimeny damper. The flue tile coming out at the top of chimeny has some bits eroded away, but nothing more than 3/8th of an inch. Should I replace the tile or is there something I can do to get a good surface before installing the damper?

29

6 comments

22

Posted by10 hours ago

help

Hardboard Totoro freestanding cutout?

Hey yall

Was trying to get some design understanding of how/where to begin to make a lifesize (or giant/maybe 8 feet total?), free standing cut-out Totoro. Was thinking hardboard for good painting surface and possible ease of disassembly and carrying.

Wanted to make the cut-out to stand along with the bus stop sign for photos at a party. Ideally it would be able to break down into two pieces or foldable with lightweight hinges.

What tool would be best to cut a smooth line/shape? Husband has some basic wood working tools but no jigsaw.

Would another material be better? I was looking over different materials at homedepot and hardboard seemed the smoothest for texture to not interfere with painting but I could get something else and mache/modpodge the shit out of it.

Got about 2.5 months for this project and trying to get a game plan together, any advice is much appreciated.

22

4 comments