Roberta H writes, I have been living in my new home for some time now & have been asking for the contractor to clean the brick because it is obvious that they never were. Well, last week they finally sent someone to clean the brick with a pressure washer & ... [Read More]

Dan H writes: We recently moved into a new home & although the showers get warm enough for me to take a shower, my wife would like to be able to take a "hot" shower or bath. The water at the bathroom & kitchen faucets is considerably hotter, what would ... [Read More]

Ben D asks, We had a hot water recirculating system installed recently & now we are having rusty looking water on the hot side. Do you have any idea of what would be causing this? It sounds like someone installed a recirculating pump meant for a hydronic heating system instead of ... [Read More]

Rhonda L writes: My laminate floor suddenly started making a "crackly" sound when we walk on it. The only things we can think that caused it are using too much cleaner, (our housekeeper may have used something other than the made-for-laminate cleaner), the temperature got very hot outside (but our home inside is not ... [Read More]

Donnie J says, my bathroom is gutted to the studs, & I'll be tiling the bathtub surround. Should I drywall this area & then put up cement backer-board, or dose the backerboard go directly over the studs? Do I need felt paper? Don't put up drywall under the backerboard. I am ... [Read More]

Mike L writes, On old fashioned lamp plugs, both prongs on the plug are the same size & the lamp works any way you plug it in. On new plugs the prongs are different sizes. I've been told this is to keep the polarity constant. What is polarity & why ... [Read More]

Ted W writes, I repainted our bathroom a few months ago & now the paint is kind of flaking off in areas, what would cause this? More than likely Ted it is from hairspray on the walls, I have run into this problem myself & this what I did. Scrape any ... [Read More]

Pat M writes: My new brick chimney has white streaks down the sides. Both the builder & the mason say the stains are normal & will go away on their own, but I am still concerned. Are they a long-term problem that I will have to worry about when my ... [Read More]

Evan S says, Temperatures in the 70's the other day got me to thinking about some spring time projects around the house, one if which will be re-coating my asphalt driveway. Are all asphalt sealants the same? Funny you should mention that Evan as I found my mind wandering down the ... [Read More]

Owen wrote: I am thinking about purchasing a house. What questions should I ask when I'm looking for a home inspector or should I use my Real Estate agents usual home inspector? Owen, one of the big questions used to be if they are a member of one of fraternal organizations such as, ASHI, ... [Read More]