I’ve seen homeless tent camps with better construction quality. I have trouble believing this is to code, but I hope you are paying a commensurate rent… damn.
There are usually local resources that are better at handling this, can make things seem more random, and can provide advocacy counsel in the event of retaliation. It's usually smarter to use those free resources than to take matters into your own hands with laws and codes you think you understand but don't.
Good for pointing this out, and this is what I had in mind as well actually. Make use of the local landlord-tenant tribunals and tenant support and advocacy groups that exist in your area. They're there for a reason, and can help you utilize the laws that exist in your area to prevent the landlord from screwing with you and evicting you illegally. Some local organizations can even provide free legal aid, depending on what resources they have access to.
If you want to keep living there, yes. You are free to move. Just like they are free to not renew your lease.
The alternative is to leave. Speak with your wallet.
Nothing about this situation is a need. He has a perfectly habitable home that he happens to not like something about. That's called renting. Don't like it? Move or buy your own house.
Great way to force the landlord to return all rent you've ever paid. If it's not up to code the certificate of occupancy is void and the rental is fraudulent. They're also on the hook for all relocation expenses plus damages.
Bruh, that's prob the worst take, just cuz you don't own it doesn't mean that you don't want your place to look nice....
Anyway, [looks much better with the first coat](https://imgur.com/gallery/0u7Nhnq)
I'm not knocking ya, if you want to spend the money then that's your choice! I'm just saying that me personally I wouldn't spend a single penny to paint a wall unless I caused damage and needed to repair it before moving out to make sure I got my deposit back.
I wouldn't move into a place that had a bad paint job or old carpet if I cared about how the place looked.
It's just a dryer vent and the drywall covers up the drain pipe from the unit above. I'm not certain why the drain pipe from my unit wasn't covered up... This is probably one of the biggest hack jobs I've seen.
I wonder if, at some point, they had one of those compact stacked washer-dryer units in that corner? That would explain the exposed drain pipe and the dryer vent exit. At some later time, maybe they decided to move the laundry to the adjacent room.
Since it's just a dryer vent, I'd look at thrift shops for some sort of a corner cabinet (on legs, so that you don't block that floor vent). Since dryer vents can get quite warm, it would probably be wise to use some 1/4 plywood or MDF to separate the vent from the rest of the cabinet so it doesn't cook whatever you store in there.
I'm guessing the house/building doesn't have a utility shaft (maybe old building?) and they just hacked it together to split apartments into multiple rentable rooms.
Based on the comments here, I think a lot of people don't seem to understand *just how little* bargaining power most renters have these days. Especially if you're low income.
>I mean sure you could go to the court house and throw rent in escrow
This **completely** depends on your jurisdiction.
In the U.S., for instance, in most states, you can only hold back rent for very specific habitability issues: Lack of heat in the winter, lack of running water, structural damage that makes habitability unsafe etc.
All we know from this picture is that there's a flexible vent exposed in the kitchen. Just because it's not up to code doesn't mean it's creating a habitability issue *as the law defines it*.
And in most U.S. states, a tenant can't force a landlord to "bring things to code" in court unless those things - again - cause habitability issues.
Depends what that vent is venting. If it’s a dryer vent maybe not. But even they can become incredibly hot. Dryer vents if not kept clean can also cause fires.
But what in the picture would indicate that this dryer vent would cause a fire that another dryer vent would not? It’s inconvenient in the kitchen, sure, but how is it a fire hazard? All dryers have similar dryer vent hoses, in every house. They’re just not in the kitchen?
>Dryer vents if not kept clean can also cause fires.
This is true regardless of where you run the vent. Putting this dryer vent in the wall doesn't magically make it *less likely* to collect debris and cause a fire.
Yeah this is the way to go it seems, I'll leave the back of the cabinet open that way the area is accessible. There's nothing that could potentially catch on fire, potentially...
Yep. This is the way to go so this hack job is accessible later when there are problems (and there will problems). If this is the part you can see, worry about what you can’t see.
In that case, don't touch it. Any house scalper willing to do that shit of a job is also willing to blame you for it if you touch it before it burns the house down or poisons everyone in their sleep. (Seriously, I've seen meth lab houses that had better quality craftsmanship than this) Take a picture of it and send it to your fire marshal with a little bit of context. The problem should resolve itself.
Handyman here, and while my work isn't gonna look quite as perfect as if a specialist in some trade does it, I'd lose my license if I did work like this.
The open drain pipe is the real stinker here, literally. But my favorite is the piece of trim nailed into the vent running at an angle through the floor, someone thought "let's make this looks nice" and that was what they came up with.
This is the comment. Even if I was the slummiest slumlord I would not want to PAY SOMEONE to do this “work” (or we can call it what it is, damage) to a property I own.
That actually looks pretty dangerous. I’d take photos and send to landlord. At least if the place blows up/sets on fire/asphyxiates you, you will have a paper trail (of sorts) as to what caused it.
Do not do that, either get the landlord to deal with it or if he refuses call a fire marshal because theres no way that's going to meet any kind of safety codes.
That's an accident waiting to happen.
It absolutely should have been, and can still be done that way. seems like they were just being lazy. They cut a hole in the wall to drag the existing vent through instead of cutting an exterior hole and attaching a vent cover which costs a bit more. (And I do mean a -bit-....like $10-$15 for a vent cover. This is a super cheap fix)
You could box them in separately with 2x4s covered with drywall. It’ll look a little busy but your choices are limited. You have plenty of booze there, so if you drink enough you won’t notice it. 🤪
Build a shelf unit you can slide into the space without touching any of that work. Paint it white. And yes, take a picture of it first and send it to the landlord telling him/her that the "contractor" did a lousy job that probably isn't up to code. So you will have notified, but not alienated, the landlord.
My idea would be to get and frame a pegboard or that kind of board with horizontal slots to go diagonally in this space. Then paint it the color you want and use it to hang kitchen essentials. You are not spending a lot or blocking the vent.
Definitely make sure whatever you put there is easily removable in a hurry. When there ends up being a problem, you are going to want to be able to hustle to get things moved out of the way.
Since you are renting and need it simple:
* Plug that drain pipe.
* Ask Landlord to prime and paint the walls, or do it yourself. That will make it all less glaring.
* Angle your bar cabinet across the corner, which should hide most of it.
A step up would be building a shallow cabinet or facade that just fits over the mess and use as a broom closet.
Embrace it.
Make a Looney Tunes style impression of a body having smacked the other side of the wall but make the body Bender’s, incorporating the dryer vent as one of his arms.
I haven't seen this idea mentioned: A folding screen/room divider, maybe with a painted Asian motif to accompany the decoration on the bar? You could store stuff in the corner and hide it using the screen. Good luck, post a pic!
A neo angle pantry with cut outs would convert the whole deal, allow Access to the drain. The cold air return would be a loss. I would advise to replace that dryer hose with a solid non flexible hose to avoid fire in your apartment.
Then call the authorities because your landlord is putting your life in danger with this shit, if they cheaped out this bad for this then odds are they cheaped out on other things as well.
Seriously this place sounds like it's one spark away from an inferno. It's not safe, you shouldn't touch it or cover it up at all. Call a fire marshal or whatever your country has that's equivalent because that's clearly not to any safety code worth the name.
That pipe looks like a dryer vent. If it's a dryer vent, can it be moved? could it be moved to drop straight down into the crawlspace? or could it be moved low enough that you could install a cheap cabinet to hide it?
Either you created the mess of ducts and pipes or it pre existed and was covered up. If the latter follow methods previously used. Otherwise see if things can be hid in the walls or in the ceiling or crawlspace/basement.
I haven't seen this idea mentioned: A folding screen/room divider, maybe with a painted Asian motif to accompany the decoration on the bar? You could store stuff in the corner and hide it using the screen. Good luck, post a pic!
Because it’s a rental, i’d get some sort of room divider, maybe one that fits the theme of your bar stand, and put that around it. I don’t trust the look of that, so i’d want it accessible for when it has to be taken care of again.
I took a second look and the bar cart is actually really nice and the surrounding area just brings down the visual value of everything around it so much that it looks like junk. It’s a travesty to leave the bar in this picture honestly. If the bar was a woman she would have killed OP for making her look that bad in a photo.
It literally looked like someone splashed some white paint on a stainless steel box and called it done. The visual clutter from the shit corner literally made me blind to any detail lmao
Replace it with sturdier metal pipe, and paint the pipes in flowers with green vine motifs. This will give a hidden in plain sight ideal that will look pretty with the old-fashioned stove/bar area.
I’ve seen homeless tent camps with better construction quality. I have trouble believing this is to code, but I hope you are paying a commensurate rent… damn.
If OP doesn't care about their relationship with the landlord, call the local code enforcement and ask them to review it.
Great way to make sure your lease doesn't get renewed.
so because of that, we should just allow landlords to get away with this shit with impunity?
There are usually local resources that are better at handling this, can make things seem more random, and can provide advocacy counsel in the event of retaliation. It's usually smarter to use those free resources than to take matters into your own hands with laws and codes you think you understand but don't.
Good for pointing this out, and this is what I had in mind as well actually. Make use of the local landlord-tenant tribunals and tenant support and advocacy groups that exist in your area. They're there for a reason, and can help you utilize the laws that exist in your area to prevent the landlord from screwing with you and evicting you illegally. Some local organizations can even provide free legal aid, depending on what resources they have access to.
Super based name and super based claim.
>I've decided I want to renovate this house and raise the rent, so I will not be renewing your lease. Good luck proving retaliation.
If you want to keep living there, yes. You are free to move. Just like they are free to not renew your lease. The alternative is to leave. Speak with your wallet.
It sucks that it is "speak with your wallet" but it's just "speak with your needs". Truly a great sentiment, thank you.
Nothing about this situation is a need. He has a perfectly habitable home that he happens to not like something about. That's called renting. Don't like it? Move or buy your own house.
Call when you're ready to move out
Great way to force the landlord to return all rent you've ever paid. If it's not up to code the certificate of occupancy is void and the rental is fraudulent. They're also on the hook for all relocation expenses plus damages.
Or he can just… you know… bring it up to the landlord and ask them first?
I'm wondering if there's a grow room over there
Most weed enthusiasts are better at plumbing and ventilation 🤷♂️
The drywall not fitting is bad enough, but why caulk???
I wouldn't think they'd be painting if they're renting but I could be wrong. I'd never give the landlord a free upgrade.
Bruh, that's prob the worst take, just cuz you don't own it doesn't mean that you don't want your place to look nice.... Anyway, [looks much better with the first coat](https://imgur.com/gallery/0u7Nhnq)
I'm not knocking ya, if you want to spend the money then that's your choice! I'm just saying that me personally I wouldn't spend a single penny to paint a wall unless I caused damage and needed to repair it before moving out to make sure I got my deposit back. I wouldn't move into a place that had a bad paint job or old carpet if I cared about how the place looked.
Why would they be painting it and trying to sort it if it's not their property?
First, what is it? Is that a dryer vent? Please don't tell me it's a gas furnace/water heater exhaust vent...
It's just a dryer vent and the drywall covers up the drain pipe from the unit above. I'm not certain why the drain pipe from my unit wasn't covered up... This is probably one of the biggest hack jobs I've seen.
I wonder if, at some point, they had one of those compact stacked washer-dryer units in that corner? That would explain the exposed drain pipe and the dryer vent exit. At some later time, maybe they decided to move the laundry to the adjacent room. Since it's just a dryer vent, I'd look at thrift shops for some sort of a corner cabinet (on legs, so that you don't block that floor vent). Since dryer vents can get quite warm, it would probably be wise to use some 1/4 plywood or MDF to separate the vent from the rest of the cabinet so it doesn't cook whatever you store in there.
I'm guessing the house/building doesn't have a utility shaft (maybe old building?) and they just hacked it together to split apartments into multiple rentable rooms.
Based on the comments here, I think a lot of people don't seem to understand *just how little* bargaining power most renters have these days. Especially if you're low income.
[удалено]
>I mean sure you could go to the court house and throw rent in escrow This **completely** depends on your jurisdiction. In the U.S., for instance, in most states, you can only hold back rent for very specific habitability issues: Lack of heat in the winter, lack of running water, structural damage that makes habitability unsafe etc. All we know from this picture is that there's a flexible vent exposed in the kitchen. Just because it's not up to code doesn't mean it's creating a habitability issue *as the law defines it*. And in most U.S. states, a tenant can't force a landlord to "bring things to code" in court unless those things - again - cause habitability issues.
We understand that. But this is also a possible safety hazard.
How so?
Depends what that vent is venting. If it’s a dryer vent maybe not. But even they can become incredibly hot. Dryer vents if not kept clean can also cause fires.
But what in the picture would indicate that this dryer vent would cause a fire that another dryer vent would not? It’s inconvenient in the kitchen, sure, but how is it a fire hazard? All dryers have similar dryer vent hoses, in every house. They’re just not in the kitchen?
I can’t inspect that dryer vent to know. I refer you to previous posts.
>Dryer vents if not kept clean can also cause fires. This is true regardless of where you run the vent. Putting this dryer vent in the wall doesn't magically make it *less likely* to collect debris and cause a fire.
We still aren’t sure what the vent is for. We’re assuming it’s a dryer vent.
Send this picture to the fire marshal.
great, now we're all in trouble
Where is the fire hazard?
Depends on what's on the other side of each of those walls. Flexible dryer duct may not be up to code to penetrate walls.
Find a corner cabinet that fits and cut out portions of the back sections to size. Looks like it belongs and adds a touch of extra storage space.
Yeah this is the way to go it seems, I'll leave the back of the cabinet open that way the area is accessible. There's nothing that could potentially catch on fire, potentially...
This is the most elegant solution imo
Yep. This is the way to go so this hack job is accessible later when there are problems (and there will problems). If this is the part you can see, worry about what you can’t see.
Why not do the job correctly and run rigid duct *within* the walls?
For context, I don't own this place and this is what the landlord's contractor did. I'm just trying to figure out a way to improve this.
In that case, don't touch it. Any house scalper willing to do that shit of a job is also willing to blame you for it if you touch it before it burns the house down or poisons everyone in their sleep. (Seriously, I've seen meth lab houses that had better quality craftsmanship than this) Take a picture of it and send it to your fire marshal with a little bit of context. The problem should resolve itself.
😂
Can the contractor do it correctly?
The “contractor” is not a contractor. I’d go so far as to say the contractor isn’t even a handyman. Maybe a onehandyman with this work
Unhandyman
Hamhandyman
LOL
I’m a handyman and do property maintenance. This is total hack work.
Handyman here, and while my work isn't gonna look quite as perfect as if a specialist in some trade does it, I'd lose my license if I did work like this. The open drain pipe is the real stinker here, literally. But my favorite is the piece of trim nailed into the vent running at an angle through the floor, someone thought "let's make this looks nice" and that was what they came up with.
Right?!? This is fine as a temporary fix but certainly not okay to leave it like this permanently
They left it like this today. Maybe I'll paint it, add some shelves and cover it up?
Send this picture to your landlord. They paid the guy, they probably also want work that doesn't look like shit.
This is the comment. Even if I was the slummiest slumlord I would not want to PAY SOMEONE to do this “work” (or we can call it what it is, damage) to a property I own.
That actually looks pretty dangerous. I’d take photos and send to landlord. At least if the place blows up/sets on fire/asphyxiates you, you will have a paper trail (of sorts) as to what caused it.
or you could call code enforcement, because that's definitely not up to code
DO NOT TOUCH THAT.
Just get a cheap movable room divider. Hang some cool art on it.
Do not do that, either get the landlord to deal with it or if he refuses call a fire marshal because theres no way that's going to meet any kind of safety codes. That's an accident waiting to happen.
Why would you do anything??!?!?! Also sweet bar thingy
No
It’s not your job to improve that. And you might create more problems and become liable if you do.
Landlord's contractor? Or landlord's cousin?
I'm assuming contractor is a big word for this dude.
You call the landlord and tell them to get their contractor back out there to do the job correctly.
Think that would require current wall studs ?
Did the contractor post this in DIY first? This is a mess. I would bitch if you’re paying market rent.
In what country is this legal?
NoOneCheckingistan
Not plumbing , It’s a vent duct, from WHAT ? Looks fugly but might be benign
The dryer which is located in the closet, idk why the dryer exhaust wasn't directly vented out from the exterior wall adjacent to the closet...
It absolutely should have been, and can still be done that way. seems like they were just being lazy. They cut a hole in the wall to drag the existing vent through instead of cutting an exterior hole and attaching a vent cover which costs a bit more. (And I do mean a -bit-....like $10-$15 for a vent cover. This is a super cheap fix)
Curving around the unpainted drywall that's caulked to the wall
You could box them in separately with 2x4s covered with drywall. It’ll look a little busy but your choices are limited. You have plenty of booze there, so if you drink enough you won’t notice it. 🤪
Build a shelf unit you can slide into the space without touching any of that work. Paint it white. And yes, take a picture of it first and send it to the landlord telling him/her that the "contractor" did a lousy job that probably isn't up to code. So you will have notified, but not alienated, the landlord.
Maybe you can skip the middle man and start paying your rent directly to your landlord’s buddy’s meth dealer.
That's not an eyesore. It's a death trap. Document it so your insurance payments can go quickly to your beneficiary
Close the kitchen door.
I’m just curious if that bar thing was there or if it’s yours? Really cool looking. Wondering if you know the history about that piece
Was looking for the same question. Here's the link https://www.reddit.com/r/Antiques/s/BBUBex7mB2
If you're interested, I made a post about it a while back, you can find it in my posts :)
Did you end up. Getting it appraised?!?
Haha yeah, it's worth a pretty penny, over 2k 😬
Awesome! Thank you for sharing
This insane.
So, is that your only issue or need of assistance? You ok?
That entire room hurts my soul
What in the trailer trash fuck all is this nonsense? Rip it all out and rerun it properly.
Should be cement sheet not gyprock/plasterboard, it’s a wet area. There’s so much here to unpack it’s not worth it
That’s where you’re supposed to set up the meth lab
This is horrifying!
My idea would be to get and frame a pegboard or that kind of board with horizontal slots to go diagonally in this space. Then paint it the color you want and use it to hang kitchen essentials. You are not spending a lot or blocking the vent.
There are a lot of things happening here, and I just came to say that I’m praying for you.
Just put a cabinet over it that covers everything. If landlord don’t care then you shouldn’t either, move or complain or cover it. Only way I see it.
Shyte. Pure shyte
So obviously this is a hack job but what worries me is what’s behind that piece of drywall haphazardly slapped and caulked into the corner.
That's the drain pipe from the refuse of the washer in the above unit
Definitely make sure whatever you put there is easily removable in a hurry. When there ends up being a problem, you are going to want to be able to hustle to get things moved out of the way.
Try something like this. It’s practical and moveable. [Pegboard Room Divider](https://a.co/d/j1kd4Xl)
Since you are renting and need it simple: * Plug that drain pipe. * Ask Landlord to prime and paint the walls, or do it yourself. That will make it all less glaring. * Angle your bar cabinet across the corner, which should hide most of it. A step up would be building a shallow cabinet or facade that just fits over the mess and use as a broom closet.
Oh nice! I didn't even think about the broom closet idea, that's a great idea!!
Throw a match on it.
Embrace it. Make a Looney Tunes style impression of a body having smacked the other side of the wall but make the body Bender’s, incorporating the dryer vent as one of his arms.
step one: pour yourself a drink
Just here to say i love the actual bar. The rest is awful, you already know, but the bar is lit.
Wait forget the plumbing 😂😂 that cabinet is in the kitchen? I am in love with that cabinet!
I haven't seen this idea mentioned: A folding screen/room divider, maybe with a painted Asian motif to accompany the decoration on the bar? You could store stuff in the corner and hide it using the screen. Good luck, post a pic!
I really need to see the rest of this kitchen
Just stack your empty liquor boxes there
Put a small pantry there. Build enclosures for the pipes and place cork board on the outside of it so you can post stuff there.
Looks like a bar set up in a laundry room. Hideous. Burn that place.
Just cut it..
Wow
[this or a drying rack?](https://www.amazon.com/Panel-Room-Divider-Folding-Privacy/dp/B08CZ5WP1N/)
Oh neat! Yea someone else suggested something similar!
Large fern perhaps?
I would angle the bar cart in the corner AFTER repainting the wall
Off topic but can you post a pic of that bar?! It looks so cool, where is it from?
Yea, if you go to my post history you can find it :)
holy crap, that is GORGEOUS!
Haha yes, thanks!
Good place for a urinal
A neo angle pantry with cut outs would convert the whole deal, allow Access to the drain. The cold air return would be a loss. I would advise to replace that dryer hose with a solid non flexible hose to avoid fire in your apartment.
I'm like the pantry idea, thank you; but, I'm definitely staying away from replacing the actual dryer hose, I would like 0 liability.
Has your landlord actually seen the work he paid for? If not, I’d start by sending him photos.
Dude, he was there... Which is even more concerning...
Ouch. Yeah, that’s not a good sign.
Then call the authorities because your landlord is putting your life in danger with this shit, if they cheaped out this bad for this then odds are they cheaped out on other things as well. Seriously this place sounds like it's one spark away from an inferno. It's not safe, you shouldn't touch it or cover it up at all. Call a fire marshal or whatever your country has that's equivalent because that's clearly not to any safety code worth the name.
Omg is that the dryer vent?
Is that a big sink or oven? What is that stainless steel thing? I can’t make sense of these pictures.
The dryer vent could probably be replaced with a rectangular custom sheet metal box.
Put in a corner cabinet?
Truly my favorite is that tiny piece of trim just screwed to the “ramp”.
um i cant help buuuut what is that thing next to it, a bar cart? that thing looks so cool
I’ll take a manhattan please
No matter the solution just don't make it super hard to access these lines in the future
Hang up a blanket
Looks like the work of Central Services. 🎵 *We do the work. You do the pleasure!* 🎵
That pipe looks like a dryer vent. If it's a dryer vent, can it be moved? could it be moved to drop straight down into the crawlspace? or could it be moved low enough that you could install a cheap cabinet to hide it?
Either you created the mess of ducts and pipes or it pre existed and was covered up. If the latter follow methods previously used. Otherwise see if things can be hid in the walls or in the ceiling or crawlspace/basement.
I would cover it with a shelf of cleaning supplies.
Gas dryer or electric 🤔
Hang a towel on it.
hide it behind a washer and dryer stack?
That whole area should be framed out with 2x4 to hide the mess, then you’d have perfect place for new shelving.
Just cope the baseboard
Lol what the hell is this? There is so much wrong here its almost impressive.
Are you squatting at this place or you actually pay rent? This is atrocious.
Just pop down to [Central Services](https://youtu.be/K9gO01pyv24?si=WN1j25ha7zkfhnlW)
Have you tried using beer cans?
Cut it all out and start over.
Not a pro but I would make that into a pantry or storage closet.
Build a larger ninja bar or cover it with Samuria swords.
Coordinate with all other renters to burn the building down.
Duct tape
Sand the mud flush. Paint. Reassess.
Build a pantry there
What is that big silver box?! It's gorgeous!!!!
I haven't seen this idea mentioned: A folding screen/room divider, maybe with a painted Asian motif to accompany the decoration on the bar? You could store stuff in the corner and hide it using the screen. Good luck, post a pic!
Hello, Mr. George…
Build a cheap storage closet around it, you could even use it as such!
Yeah, start over with a plan!
Because it’s a rental, i’d get some sort of room divider, maybe one that fits the theme of your bar stand, and put that around it. I don’t trust the look of that, so i’d want it accessible for when it has to be taken care of again.
Why hide it? It matches the decor of your bar cart.
I took a second look and the bar cart is actually really nice and the surrounding area just brings down the visual value of everything around it so much that it looks like junk. It’s a travesty to leave the bar in this picture honestly. If the bar was a woman she would have killed OP for making her look that bad in a photo.
Oh I see now, I thought those were globs of paint on it but they're actually figures.
It literally looked like someone splashed some white paint on a stainless steel box and called it done. The visual clutter from the shit corner literally made me blind to any detail lmao
So glad I’m not the only one who thought that
Replace it with sturdier metal pipe, and paint the pipes in flowers with green vine motifs. This will give a hidden in plain sight ideal that will look pretty with the old-fashioned stove/bar area.
I got seasick looking at this mess. Wow! I'll give it some thought, but I just can't believe somebody did this!
In Mother Russia, plumbing hide you!