Homeowner Forum / General / December 2003

An unbelievable thing happened to my brother yesterday.  The hardwood
floors in his house were recently given a fresh coat of poly.
Unfortunately the workers who put the poly down didn't wait until he
left the house.  So he walks downstairs wearing an expensive suede

We just bought a nice $450 dryer and now they won't connect it. The
code here in Las Vegas states dryer exhaust must be 4 inches. Our home
was built in 1960 so we have a 3 inch exhaust and the wet-wall is not
wide enough to put in a 4 inch pipe. What the hell! what to do now...

I am getting water in my basement of a rather new home.  It is due to water
shedding down the aluminum siding, hitting the small lip at the bottom of
the siding, and flowing to a corner in the foundation. geometry.  I'm sure
it would be simple to fanagle some sheetmetal to trough ...

My attic is not finished and does not have an exhaust fan.  It does
have vents through the roof.  I would like to store some plastic boxes
of clothes, papers, and books.  The attic gets VERY hot in the summer.
Is there any danger of spontaneous combustions of these items?  Can

I just got a free standing heavy bag for Christmas.
The one that you fill with water in the base.
I just realized that I have no room in the house for it.
The only place I can put it is in the backyard.

 Just yesterday, I had my realtor call me in response to a request to
see the house (One more time) I was considering buying. She was
*willing* to do it, but thought I might want to hear what the sellers
response was to the first offer.

What can I tell my husband to do for our 13' by 20' laundry room.  This is
where our washer/dryer and gas furnace and water cooler are. Right now it is
a mess, no carpet or ceiling tiles, just the concrete exposed.  What would
you guys do? Carpet?  and what about the ceiling and ...

One day I walked in my house and could smell a slight burning smell.
The door bell was buzzing.  I noticed the bell button was stuck in.
The plastic on one side of the coil housing and the plunger on that
side has melted and is stuck. I have bought a new bell unit, but is

I will be purchasing a condo within the next month and I need to
replace the carpet (about 800 Sq Ft.).  I will be living there for the
next year or two, then it will be used as a rental unit.  I'm looking
for something that is fairly decent in quality and that will handle

I have a white kitchen sink, two partitions.  In one I have a dish
rack where I let the dishes drip dry.  The other is where I wash them
off and this one develops brown or brownish spots.  I don't leave
dishes or food in the sink, so what is causing this?  Any way to

I just bought a condo and I am in need of some kitchen cabinets.  Any
suggestions on where to get the best price?  I should be able to
handle the installation myself with the guidance of a friend who is a
carpenter.  I'm not looking for super fancy....I will be living in the

Seems like the smallest most make are 1.5 tons.  Are there any in the
half ton range?  I don't want to have to use the inefficient
air-to-air window mount heat pump.

I am trying to remove a Kohler kitchen faucet which
seems to be attched to the sink by a 1 5/8" hexagonal
nut. I do not have much of a working space under the
sink and so cannot use an adjustable wrench. I looked for

Recently, one day before we had to go on vacation, our house
thermostat quietly stopped telling the furnace to turn on and quietly
displayed a LOW BATTERY warning. We noticed it because it started
getting cold. A change of battery took care of it.

We need to paint a 21 foot by 8 foot porch ceiling that is broken up
into 50 small rectangles by rafters and cross bracing.  What would be
the best way to do this?  
Would an inexpensive Wagner airless paint sprayer with a tube that goes