What r/HomeMaintenance keeps coming back to
Complaints raised here by more than one person. One-off posts are not included.
577 recurring problems · 2707 threads read · read since September 2026 · Reddit
Raised more than once here
Most people first.
- 128How do I identify if these bugs are bed bugs?“We have a rodent problem. Country home. Rats mostly some mice. Mostly in our crawl space.”
- 127How to fix a leaking water pipe in a tight space“The internal shut-off valve (quarter-turn shut-off handle) to the outdoor spigots was closed all winter but clearly there was still a leak.”
- 116How do I know if a contractor quote is fair?“We were very surprised at the price, almost $70,000, and really just want to know if this is what something like this costs today.”
- 115Should I pay for appliance repair or fix it myself?“We just bought a house and it looks like the dishwasher is the first issue. Is this worth cleaning or should we just replace it?”
- 111How to handle a bad contractor who won't fix poor work“Is this a “wait and see if anything fails” thing or is my family in danger?”
- 99How to identify a weird bug found in the house“Not sure what these are and what to do for them, please help.”
- 95Landlord built a fence around the AC and it broke“Ac has been having trouble keeping the house cool lately and someone mentioned it might be due to the fuses being burnt out (didn't even know these existed) do these look okay or do these look burnt out?”
- 91What are these tiny red beads in my house?“This fine dark powder is forming in two spots between the top of the molding and the wall.”
- 81How to clean burnt food off a stainless steel pan“Took this cast iron pan outside when it got so hot on the stove that the food started smoking. I let it rest on top of a painted iron fence, and now there is brown paint on the bottom of the pan. Is this salvageable?”
- 79How to find reliable contractors who actually show up“I’m terribly anxious I made a bad decision. Did I get screwed?”
- 69Why are contractor and window replacement quotes so absurdly high?“Well, the boiler wouldn’t fire up and the tech threw us a list of about 7 different parts he insisted were absolutely necessary to repair the boiler. The parts and labor quote came out to around 10k.”
- 59How to remove a stripped recessed retaining screw“Trying to remove this nut attached to a wall but it’s not budging AT ALL. I’ve used a wrench, t handle, attachments for drill etc to remove it.”
- 59How to tell if a new roof was installed correctly“Have to replace my roof. Getting multiple quotes. All pretty expensive from 18k to 29k for a 2500 double story house in Seattle.”
- 57How do I know if I can DIY a repair or need a pro?“What am I looking at? Is this something a novice can clean up and/or replace or should I hire a professional?”
- 55How to choose between different HVAC replacement quotes“How do we choose which option to go with?”
- 52How to tell if roof flashing is installed wrong“I’m doing some repairs prior to painting and I’ve got this janky bit of flashing and skirting.”
- 50How to fix a leaky plumbing valve that doesn't fit a new faucet“My toilet has a flapper valve system, and the water is flowing out from the sides of the Fluidmaster valve cap.”
- 48Water keeps getting in the house during heavy rain“A little bit of water seepage through it today, but not enough to get standing water just a damp spot.”
- 48How to know which replacement part code to buy“I'm trying to troubleshoot (without a manual) the air circulation fan, starting with where is it! The space behind the gas pipe access grill, where I think it should be, does not have a fan”
- 46How to get dried paint stripper off hardwood floors“I bought a 100 year old house and stripped the paint from all the baseboards and doorframes.”
What this forum worries about more than the rest
How much more often a topic shows up here than across every forum we read.
caulking10.5×structural issues10.5×exterior repairs10.5×structural repair10.5×