Homeowner Forum / General / May 2004

Home Depot used to sell decorative 4X4 eight foot long posts, with the top
end being a carved pointed-dome looking feature (Gothic look I guess). It is
a bit hard to describe, but I am sure that many of you have seen them. These
posts were very neat for garden posts, to hang flower ...

I want to do temporary soundproofing by making a window plug for
a 4' by 5' window, and I'd appreciate suggestions.
By "window plug" I'm referring to a box-like object filled with
insulation that provides both sound deadening and weather insulation

I have a patio I'd like to cover, but I'm not sure whether a full
cover or pergola is what I want/need.  My main reason for the cover is
shade, but for those few days we get rain it would be nice for a full
cover.  Also cost is an issue.  I'm confident that with my current

Anyone used the new (at least here ;) ) plastic composite type decking
material?  They say it lasts for ages and not not weather.  I am concerned
that since it is plastic based it would scratch and be hard to cover up.
Also, does it bow when there is much weight on it, or does would ...

After several months of not finding a house that I want, I find one
that is for sale by owner.  I have never bought a house under these
circumstances and wondered what suggestions OP's on this list might
have on how to proceed here.

My Samsung 1000W microwave from several years ago still works well but
some of the paint on the bottom is peeling.
The oven has a carousel to rotate food.
The paint directly beneath the carousel plate track (as 3 tiny wheels

Been noticing for the past month or so, little gray spiders around the
house, about the size of 1/4 of a dime, driving me nuts. Saw one on the
nightstand last night and that was the last straw. I've tried spectracide
inside and outside, a few weeks ago and they're still around. By ...

So you're sitting in your home, with your family, watching
the half time show during the Super Bowl and a breast
is flashed on your screen! Wow! Big deal ....
Why are so many wining about the vulgarity of this

i am soooooooooooooo sick of this.............................
it doesn't seem like anything in our price range is selling
anyway.....................

We have implemented a new system to clean out old outdated ads in the
Real Estate section of our classifieds. This results in a much cleaner
database of homes for buyers.
However, this also took the number of ads below the level we would

Anyone got good links for refinishing wood floors?
Thanks,
Gus Calandrino

I have a fenced backyard where I have a vegetable garden that is
somewhat ransacked by raccoons. (or some other animals).
It is fenced with a chain link fence, but they still sneak in. I am
guessing that they get in between the fence and the ground. What are

I need to get some summertime dehumidification in my finished basement
( atlanta,ga ) . My well shaded  house has central AC but I don't run
it except on really warm  75+ high humidityy   nights . However, I
want to reduce the summertime humidity levels in the 1500 sf w/ 2

I'm thinking about installing (maybe DIY, not sure) Harris-Tarkett
Vanguard Tap Tight Longstrip Flooring on a concrete slab foundation.
It floats and is pre glued, it activates when you tap it together.
Practically nothing on Google about it, anybody have any experience with

I need to supply four 110v/15amp circuits temporarily for a temporary
function to the backyard. So I could add four 15 or 20 amp breakers to
my panel and run four wires from the panel to the backyard.
But, could I save on wire and just run one or two of those fat wire