Causes of peeling paint?

I'm looking at buying a home that appears to be from the early 1900s, based on architectural features. The house is a brick foundation with metal siding that has held up rather well. The basement is dirt with a thin layer of cement in places. Obviously a bit damp. The roof from a quick once over appeared to be pretty much intact. No sections of missing or damaged shingles visible from the ground.

The inside appears to be in pretty good shape with no mold, damaged floors, or large pieces of the walls missing. But the paint is peeling in large sheets everywhere. Every wall looks like it is shedding, the ceiling all have paint hanging off, even the trim looks a bit shaggy. Is this water damage given the absence of any other signs? Could it be something else?

The home is foreclosure and has been vacant for at least three years and was a rental property before that. We are in Wisconsin so there is a lot of snow and temp changes. I'm thinking it's possible that it was given a quick shitty paint job when the bank acquired it and now it's falling off? Thoughts? Sorry, I didn't think to take any pictures at the time.

submitted by unclegrassass
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Small pool on the "cheap"

So, my wife picked up one of those soft-sided ("redneck") pools for this summer. It's about 15' in diameter, and about 3' deep. It's got a little pump to circulate the water. Despite my objections, it's now set up in the back yard. And I gotta say -- it's pretty refreshing.

So, I'm kind of interested in small pools now, especially after running across this article with really cool small pools that fit my modern tastes.

What would it take to put a small pool this size or smaller in a smaller in my backyard? I have a feeling the answer is going to be "too much", but why? What's the major cost? Can't we just concrete a box, and fill it with water? I feel like a "water feature" can be built somewhat affordably, but by the time they get to pool-sized, the costs have risen exponentially.

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Question about installing a dimmer light switch

Hello /r/homeimprovement, I recently moved into a new apartment and signed a year long lease and have nice recessed lighting in the kitchen but it has a simple rocker light switch. I was hoping to replace it with a dimmer switch because the current brightness is too much to handle. Also, it is a single switch that controls all of the lights in the kitchen.

My questions are:

1. How do I know if my lights are dimmable? I believe they are LED bulbs but I am not sure because I do not have access to the bulb information and with them being recessed, it is much harder for me to access the bulbs directly.
2. After killing the power from the circuit breaker, is there any risk with self installation?
3. Once I determine if it's a single or multiple pole switch, which are the best in each respective category?

Thanks in advance for any help and information!

submitted by JRobertson7987
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First Time Home Buyer here, what are some good references?

My wife and I will be moving into our own home in Atlanta, GA in the next month. Not much needs to be done as it was recently renovated; however, I'd like to know of any good references for fixing up parts of the house if need be. Really an overall general "renovation guide".

I've seen Renovation (4th Ed by Michael Litchfield) recommended, but are there any good websites or other reading materials? Also, are there any classes (online or in person) that would be worthwhile to give me more of a hands on feel of home improvements?

Didn't see this stickied, so I hope I'm not reposting, appreciate any advice!

submitted by SirTyronne
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Replacement Nest Therm. wiring harness/base plate?

I managed to break my Nest base plate/wiring harness. Any ideas on where to find a replacement? I emailed Nest and am waiting on a reply, but figured an aftermarket source might be cheaper or quicker.

submitted by TramStopDan
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Looking for materials to create a sound-dampening partition.

Theres two levels in my house, and I'd like to throw together a partition that I can use to block off the stairwell and create some privacy between the two levels. The space is about 3 ft wide x 9 ft tall. I was just thinking of something like a wooden frame with some kind of sound dampening material to fill the space between, with maybe some handles so I can "plug up" the stairwell when I need to.

Any suggestions for cheap materials that I could use for this job?

submitted by Itsaghast
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Looking at older house, with un-level floors

My wife and I are looking at a house built in 1870. We both love teh older colonial homes. Some of the floors are uneven/not level, however the sellers have lived there for 30 years with no problem. They are reporting that it's settled and secure.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I know leveling the floors out is a big undertaking, but my wife and I are more than willing to live with it, assuming that it's structurally sound.

What do I want to look for to make sure that it's not going to be an issue down the road? I know to check the joists in the basement to see what shape they're in, but any other input/stories/advice is helpful.

We will be having the house inspected pre-purchase of course, but any help is helpful! :)

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