Homeowner Forum / General / June 2004

Anyone have a solution for the accumulation of ice that jams the ice
chute on the ice./water door? I take a chunk out almost every day and
I tire of it. Any suggestions?

Hi...we have photocell-controlled compact fluorescent exterior wall lights
("entry lights"). These ar the ones that hve a flat section attaching to a
vertical wall, a horizontal section sticking out away from the wall on top
and then a translucent "jelly jar" hanging down from ...

Looks like the standard full-service realtor's commission in Seattle
is 6% - are folks negotiating lower commissions, particularly for
higher-priced homes?  If you've sold a house recently, what was the
commission rate?  Thanks!

I wanted some opinions on what color do you choose for hardwood
flooring in a kitchen. Do you match the color of the floor to the
cabinets or choose a different color. I'm afraid everything is going
to blend and look like wood.

Greetings,
An AC man came out checked my system a few days ago and I was told
that I needed a bigger compressor/furnace.
Basically, it was 85 or so outside and 80 inside and no hope of

We have white, slick tile in our kitchen and bathrooms, and hate it (it was
already installed when we found the house).
Can slick tile like this be painted as a temporary redecorating technique until
I get the time to install new tile (likely several years)?  I am more concerned

We are trying to buy a home in a fast sellers market in a new town
(moving for job transfer). We have been looking for 2 months. Most of
the homes we have made offers on have had multiple offers on them and
have sold in the first 2 days of being on the market. We finally found

I am looking for a bedroom door which one or both sides are mirror. not a
sliding door, regular swing door, but mirror in either side. anyone knows
who sells this kind of door?

I want to replace this recessed can light in my kitchen, and have run
into something odd. The can is mounted on this flange in the ceiling.
When I took it down, I found the junction box was mounted to top of
the can. Is this normal? Am I going to have to take it all out, mount

I am stumped trying to figure this out - green quarter-size-dotted patches
on clothes, in my new dryer. Only one of the items gets this stain - sock,
shirt, towel, and happens only every 2nd or 3rd run.
The clothes are all

Here is the story and could use some advice:
This is our first home and we decided to buy from a new builder. We used
one of their "preferred" lender to get the builders incentive closing costs
($3000). The first problem occurred after him telling us (a month before

I have some questions about under what circumstances footings are needed,
and when needed, under what circumstances they must be below frost level.
I live in a mountain area when on occasion, the ground freezes to several
feet of depth.

Have customer who wants existing (probably) currently-unstained
over-ten-years-old cedar shingle exterior walls stained. They show a
water pattern that he wants to soften, and he wants them darker too.
http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/cibis.htm

Here's a strange question for this group but I don't know where else to ask it.
The wife and I are looking at installing about $5000 worth of plantation
shutters, mainly because we have a lot of windows (and an 18ft ceiling in the
family room) on the east side of the house.   There ...

Replacing a light fixture in a vaulted ceiling.
The original fixture was a chandelier style hanging from a chain. The
box in the ceiling had a large hollow bolt which the original fixture
hung from. The fixture I want to replace it with has a base with 2