Homeowner Forum / General / February 2004

has the patent expired? are there alternatives that are just as good?
"If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution."  Emma Goldman

For the last month or so, the oven light in my self-cleaning oven has been
intermittent.  Today I finally went out and bought a 16 inch screwdriver,
unscrewed the fixture, pushed the retaining wire to the side, removed wire
and glass shield, and started to unscrew the light bulb. ...

i've been looking for the type of easy-to-install, no-drilling-required
thumb-lock that is available for sliding doors... to install on a
conventional window.   this would allow me to open a bedroom window
partially with some degree of security against it being forced all the way

I'm a Tampa Bay area FL homeowner. For the 2nd year in a row,
my homeowners insurance has gone from aprox. $700.00 a year
to aprox. $1200.00. I had to switch to a new carrier last year
to keep the price reasonable,  and it appears

So the dishwasher died, and the landlord is going to get a new one.
He's going to get a cheap one, that's a given.  I may be able to
persuade him to get a specific model, provided it's within the price
range.  So what's the best dishwasher out there under $200?

Some remnants of a wax seal (toilet) that were attached to some clothes
have now made a permanent home in my washing machine.  Can anyone
recommend a cleaner that will break up the wax but not hurt the parts in
the washing machine?

I have a water heater that must be 10+ years old. Recently, I noticed
a faint gas odor near the control unit at the base of the heater. I
can only smell it if I have my face really close to the unit, almost
touching it with my nose :). It seems to be coming out of the base of

I've got a few (probably stupid) questions about low-voltage recessed
halogen fixtures:
1)  Are they useful for general lighting purposes, say, in a kitchen?  Or
would I be better off with standard incandescent floods?  (The kitchen is

I am trying to settle a relationship with a real-estate agent I have
employed. I am buying a property that he (my agent) did not originally
show me. I am trying to decide what to pay him. Any advice or
perspective is appreciated, particularly if you or someone you know

We bought a home thru owner finance and don't trust the seller to keep
accurate accounting. esp. principal pre-payments.
Who would be the best third party or is there software to protect our
interests?

I've been looking at new housing developments and one of the salesmen
told me he was the one who decides what to charge for lot premiums.
This guy was a jerk and I think he was just trying to sound important.
Is it true that the salesmen set the premiums or is this a decision

Hey guys,
I'm buying a new house? My sales agent says i can select wood or tile.
Is a wood entry a good idea or should i stay with tile? If i go with
wood, then when and if i decide down the road to upgrade other parts

I have an electrician at my 2-story Vermont home today doing several things
including the installation of the bathroom ceiling fans. He went up to our
attic and discovered the East and West walls (gable ends with gable vents)
had frost over most of them and visible signs of ...

My husband and I are planning on remodeling out kitchen within the
next year (I hope!). Right now we have a galley kitchen. We plan on
tearing out the wall that makes it a galley and that will open up the
kitchen for us to have a L shaped kitchen with an island. I'm not sure

Greetings all,
My wife and I are in the process of looking for a builder for our new
home.  The first bid we got was at $80 a square foot, not a bad price
I thought, but the builder did something odd. He took the 'space'