Community guides · Home Improvement
The unspoken bar for replies in r/homeimprovement
Reply in r/homeimprovement and you're contributing to someone making a real decision about their home. Take the safety question seriously.
What's hot in r/homeimprovement now
What people are actually discussing
Top threads from the last month — what's getting engagement right now.
What this sub rewards
How replies earn upvotes here
- Explain reasoning step by step when the topic involves a process.
- Flag safety considerations and when to defer to a professional. If your method could cause injury, fire, or code violation, say so before the steps. 'Call an electrician' is a respected answer.
- Acknowledge regional or cultural variation when relevant. Building code varies by jurisdiction. Specify what region your advice applies to.
- Offer multiple options or perspectives, not a single prescription. Show 2 approaches at different skill / budget levels — pros do X, weekend warriors do Y.
What good looks like
Real comments that landed in r/homeimprovement
Two recent highly-upvoted replies. Notice what they have in common — concrete, no preamble, no self-promotion.
"Now it's your responsibility to keep updating this binder"
"I don't know anything about anything but it looks like you can order it from HD and Lowe's. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-24-in-x-24-in-x-24-in-Duct-Board-Plenum-Kit-R6-0-4DPK24X24X24/100144526?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl&srsltid=AfmBOoqxM7h3UffpwxGB-PiqCS6AHYLNck5QBi2w0Lsd58IKTFl5Wwy0 https://www.lowes.com/pd/IMPERIAL-24-in-x-24-in-x-24-in-Insulated-Fiberglass-Duct-Plenum/50260709?user=shopping&feed=yes&srsltid=AfmBOoqeSdIjFsJOj5A4yU-QEhxgCuhVTPaBco94a59jnG8aVpmsMZexM"
The one rule that gets posts removed
Be clear about when DIY is appropriate and when to call in professionals.
Your pre-reply checklist
Before you hit Reply — four quick checks
Does my comment add something specific, not just an opinion?
A useful reply names a number, a method, a personal experience, or a concrete example. If you could replace your draft with "I agree" and lose nothing, rewrite.
Have I read the top 3 comments already on this thread?
If the highest-upvoted reply already says what you were about to say, your comment will sink. Add what's missing — counterexamples, edge cases, the next step — not what's there.
Would my reply still work if my username was removed?
If it only makes sense because it promotes you, your product, or your platform, this sub will spot it. Frame the value as "this solved it for me," not "check out my…"
Did I skim the sidebar rules one more time?
Every sub has at least one rule that surprises outsiders — peer-review only, no images, no specific tags, no off-topic. Five seconds in the sidebar can save you a removal.
Want to draft this reply with the rules already baked in?
Try Redimates — free, 10 replies / week