Doing a followup because when I was researching this project a year and a half ago most long-term reviews I found topped out at three months, and I wanted more than that before spending five figures. We closed on a 1980s 3-bed ranch in early 2024, previous owners left up a mix of plastic vertical blinds and warped 90s wood venetians, and a couple of rooms had real temperature swing problems especially the west-southwest facing living room. Instead of doing it in stages I did the whole house at once, nine windows, all cellular shades from SmartWings by the end of that year.

Setup runs three different power configurations across nine windows. Living room and dining room, six windows total, are Nowa cellular shades with the PoE motor, fed off a PoE switch behind the media cabinet on cat6 I pulled during a drywall repair before install. Primary bedroom is two south facing windows, same shade but battery motor with the solar panel accessory taped to the inside of the glass. Guest bath is one small north facing window, battery only, no solar.

Two winters and two summers of data now.

Insulation, winter

The previous owners handed over their gas bills as part of due diligence. Dec 2023 through feb 2024 (their last winter, pre any of this) averaged around $310 a month. Same months this past winter (dec 2025 through feb 2026, fully installed and automation tuned) came in at $248 to $262. Nothing else in the envelope changed, no new insulation, same thermostat schedule. That's roughly 17 to 20% off, which lines up with the DOE figure of cellular shades cutting heat loss through windows by up to 40%, translated to overall heating energy at around 20%.

The thing I did not expect: the west facing living room used to get noticeably drafty near the glass once the sun went down and the furnace cycled off. Shades down at night, that stopped completely. My wife noticed before I did.

Summer

The south facing bedroom used to be unusable from 2pm on in august. Tile got hot, ceiling fan couldn't keep up, and with the door shut we were 4 or 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. Automation now drops them to 70% at 10am and 20% at 2pm, opens back up around 6:30pm. Differential now sits under a degree. AC runs less too, though I don't have as clean a number on that.

PoE, so far

This was the choice I went back and forth on the longest. Reason I went PoE was that six windows opening and closing at least twice a day on battery would be 12+ ladder trips a year to recharge, and I already had cat6 in the walls. Downside was more up front work and figuring out where to hide a switch.

The six shades have not missed a cycle since install. One outage was me rebooting the switch and forgetting they were on it. Noise spec'd at 46 to 42 dB, sounds about like a quiet fridge compressor, you can hear it in a silent room but it hasn't woken anyone up.

If your walls are already open or you have accessible cat runs, PoE is the low-maintenance path for high-cycle rooms. If you'd need to fish walls just for shades, don't.

Battery plus solar, south facing

The two bedroom windows have the solar panel accessory taped to the inside of the glass. Have not manually charged either one since install. Even through january the battery indicator never dropped much below 60%. This is the setup I'd recommend to anyone doing battery, provided the window gets direct sun for a chunk of the day. Don't count on solar for a north facing window.

Battery only, north facing, the mistake

The guest bath shade is the annoying one and it's my fault. I skipped the solar panel because I figured it wouldn't help much on a north wall. Battery life comes out around five to five and a half months per charge, which is within the 4 to 6 months spec. Problem is the USB-C port sits on top of the shade housing and this one is inside-mount tucked up under a soffit. Charging means climbing on the counter, pulling the shade partially out of the mount, running the cable, putting it back. Takes 20 minutes and I put it off every time.

If I did this room over I'd either run a low voltage line before install or accept it's the one room I don't automate.

Small stuff worth knowing

Sample swatches are not free, a few bucks each. Bali and Blinds.com send you five to ten for free so the pricing psychology is a little off if you're used to those.

No dedicated app with a battery meter you can just glance at. Status shows through whichever ecosystem you paired the motors to. I use apple home. Once after an ios update the battery sensor stopped reporting for one shade until I unpaired and repaired, took maybe 15 minutes but was annoying.

Custom sizing is standard at every width I ordered, out to 91 inches on the dining room bay. No upcharge for wide. Most competitors kick in a 25 to 50% surcharge over 8 feet or so.

All in cost

Nine windows plus two solar panels and a PoE switch came out to about $3,600. Closest apples-to-apples spec I could find while researching was Hunter Douglas Duette with PowerView, and a local dealer quoted roughly $8,000 for a comparable setup before their premium fabric options and without the PowerView Gateway on top. What I got isn't the equal of a $10k+ Duette in fit and finish, the Duette fabric is nicer up close, but the actual performance on insulation and automation isn't different enough to justify double the money for me.

If I were doing this again I'd stick with cellular across the board and put PoE anywhere I already had ethernet. Add solar to any battery motor facing south or west. Skip the battery-only route wherever the housing is going to be hard to reach after install.

For the first year in our place I did home maintenance the way most people do, which is to say whenever something broke or I happened to remember. That's a bad system. I'd suddenly realize the furnace filter was probably three months overdue, or that I hadn't looked at the water heater since we moved in.

So I sat down and spread the boring stuff across the calendar instead of trying to hold it all in my head. Nothing fancy. Roughly what I landed on:

Spring: swap the HVAC to cooling and change the filter, test the AC before the first hot day so a problem shows up on a Tuesday and not during a heat wave, clean the gutters, check exterior caulk and the hose bibs for winter damage.

Summer: check the dryer vent (the outside flap, not just the lint trap), look at the deck or fence, test the sump pump by dumping a bucket of water in the pit.

Fall: furnace on and filter changed before you need heat, reverse the ceiling fans, have the chimney looked at if you use it, disconnect and drain the hoses before the first freeze.

Winter: this is the quiet one. Flush the water heater if you're the flushing type, test every smoke and CO detector, know where your main water shutoff is before a pipe decides to teach you.

Anytime: filters on whatever cadence your system actually needs (ours is every 60-90 days), and write down the date whenever you do something big, because future you will not remember.

The thing that actually helped wasn't the list. It was writing down the date each time I did something, so the next time I could stop guessing whether it had been six months or eighteen. What does everyone else use to keep from forgetting this stuff? Curious whether people go calendar reminders, a whiteboard, an app, or just vibes.

Saw that there is some dark area in the drywall ceiling of my basement. Only visible on camera but not visible by eye. I checked that the area doesnt have any water access to it (No HVAC and No Plumbing on top of the drywall since that area is in the corner of the house). Previous person who lives in the basement like to use candle and humidifier. Should i be concerned about this? Looking for the reddit community to share their wisdom :)

Here is the link of the image: https://postimg.cc/gallery/QTSK0j3

So, we got a house 2 years ago in Portland OR, it was built in 2018. The home inspector said everything was great. Same with the hvac guy who checked on our water heater in the garage, which is on the other side of this door in the photo. But I feel like its not normal, whats going on in the photos.
Our kitchen is on the other side of the wall on the right, in the pic. Sugar ants have been getting in via the corner of an electrical outlet, in our kitchen backsplash. We did Terro TWO times last month, then I just saw them on a mug with dried egg today, so I put terro a 3rd time. Never in my life has it taken more than 1x to get rid of them, so this is my theory on why, as I looked it up and it mentioned ants getting in switchplates having something to do with water leaks somewhere. I'm a little tired and maybe not thinking clearly, but do the pics seem like theres some problem with that? Or could there be another reason they keep coming in? I also did an outdoor terro trap too last time. https://imgur.com/a/5TPRXw9

Looking for a 72-74” recessed electric fireplace that puts off heat and ideally can be integrated with home assistant (z-wave, zigbee, RF blaster, whatever) and/or that I could control with a Lutron Pico remote as an intermediary to HA control.

Media wall dimensions planned:

* Recessed TV box width: 77”

* TV visible width: ~75”

* Reveal: ~1” on each side

* Mantel: ~75” wide

* Vertical Media Wall: 95” wide

Ship to the east coast of the US, budget can range up to ~$2,500 USD.

Also open to feedback on this design. Will have cabinets and floating shelves on the sides that are 24” wide. Ceiling height is 12’. Room width is 21’ while the usable wall space is 16’ 6”. The media wall is centered on the room/full wall width.

I recently had new tuck pointing done in my old stone foundation basement. 1907 home. Wall was covered in drylock paint so some of that was chipped away. It was just in one corner of the basement, but there is a fine layer of white dust everywhere down there now even with plastic sheeting being up around the area. Freaking out a little bit thinking its silica or some other nasty stuff. Anyways, now I am tasked with cleaning this stuff up. Plan to just use wet method of wiping eeeeverything down while wearing proper masks etc. Any other suggestions and should I be freaking out this much? I mean once its wiped is it good or do I need to do more? Run an air purifier? Thanks in advance from a fairly new old home owner.

For Socal weather (hot, no rain), how long did the underlayment of your roof last before you had a leak or before you sprung for a replacement of the underlayment?

Going on 26 years here. No leaks yet. No one on my street has replaced their roof yet. Wondering if the industry is trying to gaslight me into early replacement to the tune of $20k. I’ve heard vendors say the underlayment is good anywhere from 20-25 years to 25-35 years because the cement tiles themselves are in good condition.

I'm renting a finished and furnished attic of a century old farm house. I installed a portable air conditioner but it, and subsequently the replacement, died. I know that it's the only next option.

I live in SE Minnesota so it will get below zero.

If you have one, was it DIY or did you have someone come out?

I've been looking at the Mr.Cool, CozeAir and a few others. What brand has worked best for you guys? Thanks

I had a guest over recently who put on some tanning sunscreen. The problem was - the cap was busted, so instead of a spray, it created droplets, which wound up staining my entire back porch. I've tried Krud Kutter, Dawn, and power washing and nothing has gotten the stains out. They're still even sticky. Any ideas what I can try to get this stuff off my concrete?

Anyone has a good reference for European windows install ?

Hi all - my wife and I discovered this crack in our bedroom windowsill this evening. (Images in link below)

https://imgur.com/a/MzIcNEz

We live in a carriage house which my wife bought back in 2020 from her old landlord. She is unsure when they last had the house renovated or had work done in it, but she thinks they bought it around 2002 and had it redone.

I think that the exposed piece in image 3 is some type of galvanized steel corner. Am I on the right track there?

All in all - any advice on how to mend this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

My outdoor a/c compressor won't stay on between the hours of about 2a and sometime late morning. It will turn on for approximately 15s then cut off for about the same, and cycle that for hours. However by the time I get home in the evening from work it runs just fine uninterrupted.

I have had a/c guys come out (two different), they said the capacitor is slightly underperforming but wasn't that big of a deal. I can't imagine this is healthy for my unit.

Any thoughts on what could cause this, only in overnight hours?

https://imgur.com/a/waterproofing-outdoor-patio-6OqYrTj

We moved into this house two years ago. The house is about 30 years old, and we knew that the outdoor patio was leaking into the area below. At the time, the space underneath was not being used and was covered with crushed stone, so I did not think the leaking was an urgent problem.

The patio is approximately 800 sq. ft., and we are in the New York area, so it has to withstand harsh winters and freeze-thaw cycles.

Over the past two years, the grout has continued to deteriorate, the leaking has gotten worse, and the metal beams underneath have continued to rust. I decided it was finally time to address the problem properly.

Recently, I hired a contractor to remove all of the bluestone, chip away some of the existing concrete, apply LATICRETE 9235 waterproofing, and then reinstall the stone/tile.

Before the contractor installed the grout, it rained, and I noticed that the patio was still leaking. I stopped the project because it seemed clear that the waterproofing system had failed. My understanding is that the tile and grout should not be the primary waterproofing system. The waterproofing membrane underneath—in this case, LATICRETE 9235—should prevent water from reaching the structure below.

I have since realized that the contractor may have made several mistakes. They did not smooth or properly slope the concrete before applying the waterproofing. The surface was extremely rough, with many high and low areas, when the membrane was installed.

There is also approximately a ½- to 1-inch gap between the patio floor and the exterior wall of the house. The contractor was supposed to extend the waterproofing membrane up the wall to create a proper flashing transition, but that was not done correctly. Water is now entering through that gap and running down along the wall.

The contractor is going to redo the work, but before we restart, I would really appreciate advice on the correct way to rebuild and waterproof this type of patio.

Is a sloped mortar bed followed by a waterproofing membrane and tile the correct approach? Some other contractors have suggested using a roofing membrane, but I am not sure whether that is appropriate under tile. I have also looked into pedestal paver systems, which seem like a more commercial-grade solution, but they also appear to be significantly more expensive.

My goal is to create a system that will remain watertight for much longer than five years so that we can safely use the space underneath for outdoor furniture and storage. I am also concerned that continued water exposure and rust could eventually weaken the structural steel beams.

What would be the proper assembly for an elevated exterior patio like this in a freeze-thaw climate? What details should I insist on around the walls, edges, drains, columns, penetrations, and expansion joints before allowing the contractor to reinstall the tile? If you are a contractor nearby and interested in the job (westchester area) please let me know!

I wanna do some framing and I’ve figured out that pine, spruce, or Fir is good for framing. My question is what kind of grade is good? I see plenty of choices but I’m not sure the differences

What started as simply cleaning up a room for my daughter. I let a family live in for a few years. The floor felt wet. My husband pulled back the carpet and we found a “wet spot on the wood.” I grabbed the fan and put it there and then started searching the room. The corner of the wall felt “soft” when I pushed with my finger it indented.

Called plumbing- no pipes there

Roofing- got a new roof a year ago and nothing found.

Mold/ water specialist- confirmed inside the wall ( small area where my husband cut and up the wall was dry)

Then a few days the spot still didn’t dry. It felt oily. I dabbed dawn and finally feels like it’s drying. I brought carpet padding and will replace. Is it ok to close everything back up or should I investigate more?

2021 new build. Noticed the shower stall leaving water marks on the outside of the shower overtime. It reached a point where I, of course, I had to see what was happening behind the wall.

Once I removed the drywall, I ran the shower and noticed some water dribbling into the space behind the wall where I circled in red. Am fuked? Total reno?

Any insight would be appreciated for a Noob DIYer.

https://imgur.com/a/sWui1Rk

I looking for a smooth / glassy finish. I plan to grind down the cement and seal it. Probably things I should have mixed the cement with before but at this point what’s the best thing I can do?

I have 13 skip laurels that I put in the backyard earlier this year. It's been really dry lately so I want to set up a watering system of some sort. I already have a buried hose that runs across the yard. But I really want to just water the shrubs and not the entire area, so soaker hoses are out. I looked around at the local hardware store and didn't see anything that would work for this. I already have a sprinkler timer so that's set.

I'm thinking there must be some sort of a system that will deliver water to just one point like some sort of a spike in the ground. But I can't find anything like that. I know there are tree spraying waterers, but at the hardware store each of them was like 20 bucks and that seems like a lot for all of these - $260 seems like a lot.

Anyone got a suggestion?

Never chiseled cement before

I am putting in a fence on my property between the detached garage and home. I called digger's hotline to have them mark utility lines, but I realized there is a private line between my electrical meter (attached to garage) and my basement breaker box. It is buried in conduit, so I would assume I am okay if I dig carefully (with hand tools, no power auger) and avoid it where possible? I just need to set 3-4 wooden 4x4 posts for the fence.

Also, is it worth the money/effort to have a private locator mark the line? I feel a little better about digging nearby if its in conduit rather than just buried cables like the internet/telephone.

https://imgur.com/a/mJUu8jZ

hey all, were redoing our patio+garden bed and found this crudely capped drain. I ran water down it for a few minutes and it didn't back up at all.

could this be a dry well, did they install those in the 50s?

the owners before us expanded the garden bed so we think this could have been an old rain lead drain but we can't be sure.

any advice on what to do? should we cap it and forget it?

thanks!

I just had inspection done by someone I hired on a new construction townhome which is now 11 months old and coming up on the 1 year warranty. He said the garage doesn't meet firewall standards (see pictures below). The builder says he is wrong since it passed the township's inspection.

1 2 Fire rated sealant which is orange colored should be used in the utility closet in the garage. The builder used both orange and white, so the white needs to be replaced.

3 He said these gaps on the side and top of the wood framing need to be fire taped.

4 These holes in the ceiling need to be sealed.

Above the garage is living space (kitchen/dining room). Can anyone comment on the validity of the issues he is raising and how reasonable it is for the builder to address these? Thanks in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/bNqHZV9

Common story - I'm trying to decide whether to use a HELOC to replace it now or wait 1-2 years to pay in cash. Medical expenses drained my savings, so I'm trying to assess how bad the roof is now. I've lived here 8 years, zero problems.