My brother-in-law installed two new light fixtures in the bathroom of our home, one on either side of the vanity mirror with a light switch. It is the craziest thing. If we put two five-year (60 watt) bulbs in each fixture, they both "light" but not very bright. If we put one five-year and one regular bulb, the regular bulb does not work at all and the five-year glows relatively well (but NOT 60-watts worth). If we use two regular bulbs (60 watt), they both turn on but are about as bright as "mood lighting". Very dim. All the wires have been checked and double checked by my brother-in-law and my husband. It is an older house (we just bought) and we are both at our wits end. I’m scared to death of an electrical fire. Any ideas??? Thanks so much for your help!!!

They were nice enough to rent to me on short notice when i seen the ad on craigslist. I was in a bad situation being 5 months pregnant and needed a place asap. Maybe i was too hasty to move in i can admit that. I paid and moved in. We went over the lease and it looked good than. I filled out a checklist noting cabinant doors that didnt stay shut, a leaky tub, broken window, door weatherstrips that showed light, carpet duct taped to the floor, aluminum and wood windows. I do not know what happened to the list in the rush of moving in. He says he never got one from me but i made a copy and gave it to him. The bathroom has no shower but a old bathtub that had a leak from the fixtures. He just fixed that after much harassment on my part 9 months later. i switched out the leaking sink fixture at my own cost when i was 7 months pregnant. The vanity was tiny too so it was a tight squeeze. It was hotter than heck in the summer i believe cause of no insulation thats adequate. The house is from the 1920’s and im also worried about lead exposure. The bathroom has no fan or window and the walls get covered in moisture and who has the time to wipe it down all the time everytime. i’ve tried using a fan but that did not work. leaving the door open when bathing. mold keeps coming back no matter what i do. i go through rolls of paper towels drying the walls and ceiling. the tub is old and starting to leak and the flapper sticks and the water runs and runs if you dont stand there to make sure it closed. my 4 month old baby keeps getting sick and i believe it is cause of the mold and the house doesnt stay heated from 2 small wall space heaters at all. the living room and laundry room is warm thats it than it gets cold again really fast. i am very worried about my daughters health if we stay in this house. and my power bill has went from 25 to 35 a month to 256! i think this is all that i can recall now other than my landlord and his wife always looking out their windows whenever my family comes to visit which is often. they act like im a drug dealer not a single lonely parent struggling to survive on my own with the help of my family and no state assistance at all. so any help would be great cause i would love to get my baby to a newer safter home.

In my upstairs bathroom I have an overhead light and a vanity light. Both use the same switch. I would like to replace the one switch with a separate switch for each. However, it appears the two lights are wired in series so that only one wire comes to the switch.

What’s really confusing me is that when I open the switch there are three sets of wires coming in. Two coming down from the ceiling and one coming up from the floor – I presume the one coming up is coming from the circuit breaker. The white wires are nutted together in the box and the ground wires are grouped together in the box.

Of the three black wires, one of the two coming from the ceiling is labeled "common". When disconnected, this kills the lights and outlets in my bedroom.

Can anyone explain this to me better, and tell me if there is some way I can separate the ceiling and vanity lights without getting into the wall or pulling fixtures from the wall?

What I would really like to do is have the ceiling light on a dimmer and the vanity light on an on/off switch. But I’m guessing I will have to have both on a dimmer.

Have chain swag light fixture connected to junction box on ceiling over vanity. Want to have fixture attached to wall. This involves a move of about 10" straight over to ceiling-wall joint and about 10" straight down wall. Will I have to remove all drywall in between and notch double ceiling plates? Fish? Help? How? Please, no sarcasm
I want a totally new wall mounted lighting fixture, not the same fixture attached in a different place. Thanks for your help.

Have chain swag light fixture connected to junction box on ceiling over vanity. Want to have fixture attached to wall. This involves a move of about 10" straight over to ceiling-wall joint and about 10" straight down wall. Will I have to remove all drywall in between and notch double ceiling plates? Fish? Help? How? Please, no sarcasm
I want a totally new wall mounted lighting fixture, not the same fixture attached in a different place. Thanks for your help.

My home was built in 1963. If I measured correctly, the area is 638 sq ft (from tub to doorway length-wise). The original tub is still in place. At first I was going to replace the tub but have decided it would be too costly as I have no idea what shape the tub liner is in or the walls behind the tile. The bathroom does not smell musty so I assume there is no mold growth behind the walls.

I plan to do in two stages:

I would have the shower/bathtub faucet fixtures replaced and re-tile around the tub first. Roughly, how much would this cost?

Then later on (year later because of the money) I will replace the tile flooring and the vanity/lights/mirror. The toilet is up-to-date so that will remain.

Also, if I leave the original tub in, what are some things that could be a problem? Thanks

We have to gut our 15 year old master bathroom due to the fact that the tile was installed improperly. I want to upgrade/update it, but don’t plan on staying in this house more than 4 more years. I plan to reuse the red oak vanity but will replace the vanity top. All of the trim in the house is natural red oak. Have already replaced the knobs & light fixtures with satin nickel. Will replace the faucets with satin nickel as well. What would be the best choice for the vanity top (2 sinks) for resale? Do I need to use granite for resale purposes or would Corian be an option? Also there is a wall to wall mirror above the vanity. I keep reading that those are outdated and that I should replace it with 2 framed mirrors. What do you think–have to take the big mirror down anyhow. I plan to keep it as neutral as possible and just accent with rugs, towels, etc. We need to replace the tile in the shower, around the separate tub (re-using), and re-tile the floor. I love the natural stone, especially slate. Would 12×12 slates tiles be a good choice for the shower & floor–maybe accented with a mosaic border in the slate or recycled glass? I don’t want anything that is hard to clean. We will also replace the glass shower doors, repaint, etc. All of the fixtures are white. I am not into "fancy" and have a limited budget for this project, but I want it to look nice. Would appreciate any suggestions.

I am thinking of painting the vanity in one of our small bathrooms either a dark gray/charcoal color or a chocolate brown color. Right now the vanity has the light wood stain that the builder originally had with the house, and it looks incredibly dated. The sink over the vanity is a light cream color, and the walls in the bathroom are off-white. Depending on whether I choose a charcoal or chocolate color to paint the vanity, I’ll get a new matching mirror and light fixture in similar colors (either dark gray/silver or deep brown, respectively). Which color do you think will look better?

JOBQTY
Kitchen:
Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets1
New Kitchen Faucet1

Lighting:
Recessed x12 housing fixtures (floodlight refletor bulbs, small halogen) Commercial Electric 6 In. IC Airtight Recessed Lighting Contractor 6-Pack (C1) HD2
Recessed x12 trims12
Bulbs (GE Smart 90-Watt Replacement Indoor Floodlight R40 6-Year Life CFL Bulbs) 4
Motion Detector Lights3

Backyard:
18 fence panels8

Doors:
Replace locks with Deadbolts (Go to locksmith and get Medco Keys)4
install 1

5 rooms:
Install Ceiling Fans (Harbor Breeze 52" Classic Style Dark Oak to Mahogany/Bronze Ceiling Fan )5

Bathroom:
Change out Vanity (American Classics 24 in.W x 34 in.H x 18 in.D Vanity in Java Oak with Stone Fusion Top in Citrine HD)2
"Install new bathroom faucet (MOEN
Touch Control Two Handle Bathroom Faucet in Chrome HD)"2
Lights (Style Selections 5-Light White Traditional Bath Bar/Vanity Light LOWES)2

Flooring:
Add vinyl to 3 bedrooms, and living room (720sft)24
Trafficmaster Ceramica Shasta 12 In. x 12 In. Resilient Vinyl Tile Flooring (30 Sq. Ft./Case) HD

Garage Door:
Replace 1
add motor (Chamberlain Garage Door Opener 1/2 hp Chain Drive with Multi-Function Remote PD610D SEARS)1

Gutters:
Install all way around

Tree Removal:
2 big cypress

Paint:
5 rooms (400 SF /GALLON) BEHR 1 Gal. Satin Medium Base Premium Plus Ultra Interior Paint hd5
baseboards

Front Yard:
"Add Fence (L 40ft W 40ft) ( 6ft x 8ft Redwood Dog Ear Fence Panel – 1×4 Pickets
Item #: 60483 | Model #: 60483 LOWES)"10
Add Gate with remote open10

Appliances: (stainless steel)
Washer and Dryer (Kenmore 70 series top loading Heavy Duty Washer and Dryer craigslist)1
Refridgerator1
Range Hood1
Oven range (GE 30 In. Freestanding Electric Range HD -Model # JBS55DMWW Internet # 100597011 HD)1

Landscaping:
Weed and Lawn Removal
Level ground
lay brick and retaining wall
add grass
I only have a k budget but I am looking for inexpensive, yet looks decent, and minor things I would do myself if they are beginner and dont use too many tools.

If you are a contractor or other handy man, could u work with this ? k includes labor and materials.

Im in Contra Costa County. CA

I have an apartment with an older mirrored vanity in the bathroom. On the top is where there are the bulbs but in front of those bulbs use to be a long rectangular plastic lens to dampen the light so it wasnt like lookin into the sun every time you looked into the mirror. That "light shade plastic fixture"thingy got broken in half,i was wondering what it is called and/or if i can get a link to buy a new one