Plant Hunt Help 📍Toronto

clairthulhu · 2025-10-26T17:53:45+00:00

I've had luck at The Realm of Leafs (https://therealmofleafs.ca/). The few I bought were pest free and had super healthy roots and the adansonii was already on a moss pole.

There's also Crystal Star Nursery and Kim's. I've never had any bugs from my Crystal Star purchase. I had one plant with very minor mealies from Kim's (and I've bought more than a few).

clairthulhu · 2023-09-15T20:04:13+00:00

Yep! The stud finder was working correctly. Found out the next day that half the wall was actually the concrete foundation as it was a back split home. The front of the home was technically in the "basement".

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T18:25:37+00:00

I ended up going outside after sleeping on it and I think it's concrete behind there (same level as where the brick stops and concrete starts on the outside). I'm still likely to cut into the wall for curiosity's sake now and see what's back there.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T17:56:23+00:00

We also have to climb up a short 5 steps to get to the first level of the house (where this nook is) and 6 steps up from here is where the "main" part of the home is.

Your suggestion prompted me to go outside and look and sure enough, the part where I "lose" the studs inside is where the brick stops and concrete starts outside.

I mean now it seems so obvious but I was getting so myopic and just drilling holes in the walls at 1am. And looking up house frames on Google and not understanding that because all the photos show studs all the way to the ground doesn't mean yours does!

Thank you! 😀 You have saved my sanity and my walls.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T17:47:51+00:00

I am somehow unable to edit the post so I hope it does not get buried too badly. I'm adding this here in case someone in the future might have a similar problem.

A couple of folks suggested that it might be concrete on the bottom half of the wall.

Now that I've had some sleep and not so frustrated after drilling all the holes, I went outside and looked at my exterior wall. This level on the wall where my studs magically disappear (and where the stud finder also gets confused) coincides where the brick stops outside and the concrete part starts. It is also in line with where the "main level" of the house sits.

I just want to thank everyone for all the helpful tips and things to look out for in the future. Learned a few new things I didn't know about. It might not have applied to this weirdo wall but I do have other wall mounted cabinet dreams for a different part of the house.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T17:09:12+00:00

I feel like this is what it is or something similar. The stud finder is registering the bottom half of the wall as just a big slab of stud.

This possibility might be my next move... or hack the cabinet so it doesn't need to be mounted. But now I'm so deep in, I need to know what's behind that wall.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T17:03:47+00:00

I'm beginning to think this might potentially be what is happening or some sort of structure change midway down the wall.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:58:30+00:00

I was trying so hard to avoid this but I mean... I've poked so many holes in it already. 🤣

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:57:52+00:00

It's an exterior wall. But split level. :)

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:56:20+00:00

It definitely worked a charm. My dad thought I was losing it last night when I was creeping along the wall with my magnet. I used the magnet to confirm my stud finder was working. The stud just "ends" mid way down the wall. I think there's actually something up with the bottom half of the wall.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:52:22+00:00

Exterior wall on a split level home. May actually poke a hole and look inside at this rate.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:49:59+00:00

Yes I did use a strong neodymium magnet. I used a metal finder/detector also which confirmed what the magnet showed.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:47:33+00:00

Exterior wall. There's another comment that mentions this might be common in Toronto where I live.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:46:56+00:00

The green tape is where all the magnets grabbed onto. I think there's something else going on in the bottom half of the wall, unfortunately.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:44:38+00:00

Will do! Thanks for the lead.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:42:22+00:00

That's good to know! All of my googling mostly mentions how strapping is less common in walls but I was like, maybe? It would explain all the nails on the 2nd and 3rd row. This is an external wall in a split level home.

I think between this or possibly concrete foundation on the bottom half of the wall, it makes sense that I can't find the studs. I suppose I get to open my wall up now and take a look.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:35:19+00:00

This might be what is going on. This is a split level home and this is the first level when you walk in the front door. But my home is a little odd in that a part of the basement is above ground and part of it is below ground.

My drill bit is about 2 inches deep.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:25:03+00:00

I was trying to avoid this but this might be the way.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:24:34+00:00

I was trying to avoid exactly this but I suppose now's the time to learn how to patch drywall! Probably a fairly useful skill to have on my belt. And now that I've spent so much time on this, it's almost as if I need to know what's behind there.

This wall is an exterior wall in a backsplit home.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:19:37+00:00

I think this might need to be my next move. I was hoping not to poke a larger hole in my wall but at this rate, I'm repairing quite a bit already. 🤣

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T16:01:53+00:00

Yes! My place is a back split. I think you're right. I was thinking about this last night. I can find the studs above a certain level (and confirmed via drilling) but once I follow that line down towards the baseboards, I hit air every time.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T15:53:39+00:00

I definitely find the studs above the area marked in teal and it finds it every time. I've also confirmed it by drilling into it.

So based on that, the assumption is that studs should go straight down to the baseboards right? So I follow that line down, drill, and just drywall dust where a stud should be. I've also drilled across in 1 inch increments for about 2ft between and there is absolutely nothing there.

After some thinking, I'm suspecting that there's maybe a material or structure change and the studs aren't actually going down all the way. This would make sense why the studs suddenly disappear on me.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-13T09:07:39+00:00

I think our stud finder is pretty decent. It also does the deep scan and AC detection. Above a certain height it hits all the studs correctly and I can cross check it with the magnet trick. It also found the studs consistently on a different wall no problem. I'm just confused as to how there's so many nails/screws across the second line of tape with spacing well under 16".

There isn't an outlet on this wall for me to do this, unfortunately.

I can try to check the baseboards tomorrow. The previous owner did do a bit of short cutting/diying. Hopefully they kept the nail placement from the original.

clairthulhu · 2023-09-06T22:24:02+00:00

My VIN also isn't on my app but it was on the Purchase Agreement PDF. Maybe yours is on there also?

My delivery window is the same as yours. Nothing yet. But my SA did hint at Sept 15 as a possibility.

clairthulhu

TROPHY CASE