Homeowner Forum / General / July 2004

My wife and I are very interested in a particular chair and ottoman
sold at Storehouse furniture.  The specific product link is
http://www.storehouse.com/store/Vignettes.asp?room=l_madison.
I'm quite sure that these pieces are made for Storehouse by another

I went shopping this week to replace my old gas grill.   For many years, I
used a gas grill from Sears (small grill, low-cost)  that used briquets that
heated up and helped with the cooking.
Now, I can't find any grills that use briquets !!  They seemed to have been

I've had a heat pump before, but never noticed this in our other
home.....
There is a tube that is coming out from under the house (it comes
through a hole they made in the foundation vrick and is cemented in)

I have installed venetian blinds in my home and I know this sounds
stupid, but I have a devil of a time lowering them (raising is
easier).  Is there any "correct" way to raise and lower them quickly?

We 're finishing a brick patio right now, and hope to purchase a spa
in the next month or so.  We are leaning towards Hot Spring because of
their quality and reliability.
We've had the Hot Spring brochure for a while, but today was the first

I'm looking for suggestions for products to use to replace a 60 X 30
inch tub with a shower stall of the same size:  60 x 30, not 60 x 32.
The reason for the question is because the room's layout:  a standard 60
x 32 inch shower stall bases simply will not fit and is not an option ...

I purchased an expensive ($1500) Windham Castings Cast Aluminum Patio
set a few years ago and to my surprise the powder coat(paint) is
peeling.
The bad news is that the two-year warranty had expired less than a

Hi:  I have a few HVAC questions.
1)  Do UV lights really help?  What are they aimed at and how
effective are they?
2)  What humidity level should you try to achieve?

Can someone recommend a good wall control for a heat pump system?  One
that is flexible enough to program different temperatures per hour.
e.g.  Keep temp at 72 until midnight and then set down on 70.  Bump it
back up at 6AM.

I live in a 1 story townhouse.
We have the washer and dryer in the basement.
Sometimes when we do the laundry, when the washer is getting rid of
the water, the sink next to it, overflows.

We recently purchased an older (1912) prairie-style house.  The walls
of the entire house appear to be painted canvas of some sort.  We like
the look and texture, and many of the rooms are in good shape.  Two of
the rooms have damaged canvas and it needs to either be 1) taken down

A national news magazine program is looking for a few good examples of
neighbor problems. Is there someone on your block that just makes you
crazy? Send us your details. If your case is  chosen for our broadcast
report, we will try to help find a solution for you and your neighbor.

What's the proper name for the exterior pieces of wood between the
stucco rectangles?
http://home.kc.rr.com/plumb/nwside.htm

Hi, I'm building a house and am getting bids from three kitchen
designers for cabinets. We would like simple Shaker-style cabinets,
without any fancy glazing, etc. As far as cabinet lines, my options
are all over the place, price-wise. They include: KraftMaid,

Got a question on a house with asbestos siding I'm looking at
purchasing.   I know the asbestos in and of itself is not a problem.
Will there be a problem, however, if I go to try to get replacement
windows put into the house?  Or will they be able to work around the