r/DIYHome

I am trying to decide which is better for a DIY driveway between concrete and gravel grids, and I would really appreciate some advice.

I feel like concrete is ideal because it gives a smooth, strong surface and can last many years with minimal maintenance if done properly. It also looks more finished and is easily available locally, which makes planning and sourcing materials simpler.

At the same time, I think gravel grids might be a good idea because they are more budget friendly, especially since there are some affordable gravel grid options on aftermarket sites like amazon, ebay, and alibeba, as well as similar marketplace platforms. They also allow better drainage, especially when there is heavy rain. Gravel setups are easier to install as a DIY project, though they may need more maintenance over time.

Which do you think is more ideal between the two for a DIY driveway?

Been meaning to do this for months. Our tap water tastes fine but I got tired of buying bottled water for the fridge and filling up Brita pitchers constantly. Plus the plastic waste was starting to annoy me. Im not a plumber. I've changed a shower head once and fixed a leaky tap with YouTube help that's about it.

The whole install took me maybe an hour and a half. Most of that time was just figuring out which adapter fit my cold water line. Once I had that sorted, the rest was pretty straightforward. Push some tubes in, tighten a few fittings, turn the water back on and check for leaks.

No leaks first try which honestly surprised me.

I went with a basic carbon filter for now. Didn't feel like dealing with reverse osmosis and the extra waste water. For drinking water and coffee, carbon seems fine. The water tastes noticeably cleaner. No more chlorine hint.

I was looking at sink filters online for a while before picking one. The main things I learned: check what thread size your faucet has before buying, and get one with standard replacement cartridges so you're not locked into one brand forever.

One thing I didn't think about beforehand – the filter takes up a fair bit of space under the sink. If your cabinet is already full of cleaning stuff and random junk, you'll need to clear some room.

For anyone thinking about doing this themselves, it's genuinely not hard. Way easier than installing a garbage disposal or something like that.

Has anyone else installed one of these? Did you go with carbon or RO? How often are you changing the filters- I ve heard every 6 months but also heard people push it to a year.

Also – anyone had one leak on them after a few months? That's my only real worry long term.

I've been using stud finders for home DIY for years and I genuinely like them — but I've always wondered if professional contractors, finish carpenters, or remodelers actually rely on them, or if they have better methods.

My biggest frustration: no stud finder I've tried reliably marks the center. The best one I've used is the Franklin — I like the multi-indicator bar across the top. But even then, you're doing the "scan from both directions and split the difference" dance on every single stud. For a few nails, fine. But when I'm mounting wall cabinets and need a clean vertical line up an entire stud run, it gets tedious fast.

Why doesn't any product just project a vertical laser line along the stud center? It seems like an obvious gap. And it would be also very helpful that if it can find horizontal stud as well. Am I missing something — is this already solved by a product I don't know about?

A few things I'm curious about:

• Do pros use stud finders, or do they rely on measurement/tapping/other tricks instead?
• What features do you actually wish existed on a stud finder?
• What's your most frustrating use case where current tools fall short?