Homeowner Forum / Repair / October 2006

I need to repair some water damage to a drywall ceiling and walls. I
repaired the source of the roof leak last weekend that caused the
damage. There is a small (~0.5") hole in the ceiling with some black
around the hole. There are also some blackened streaks down the wall

I'm having trouble deciding on some interior colors.  Would appreciate any
opinions.
The actual paint color is called "off-white" from wal mart.  For the trim I
used high gloss exterior white.  I do like the look of the trim.  But my

I live in Ohio and have 2 neighbors who said that they had good luck
mulching their tree leaves by using a blade specially designed to
mulch. (They said the leaves were cut so fine that they didn't need to
be raked.)  Last year I bought a mulching blade from Home Depot, and I

"[An] Arkansas man convinced the woman that she needed to squirrel-proof her
house, after telling her that he'd seen one of the furry menaces crawling
into a plumbing vent on her roof.
"The woman, quite understandably, took him up on his offer to cap the pipe

I live in an area where cockroaches are a way of life.  I put out
fresh roach traps 3 times a year.  Yesterday I saw a live cockroach in
the attic, yet there is no food there. I know if you see one there are
many more which gives me the creeps.  Also there are roaches on the

I put a generator in storage (5hp Kawasaki) by putting oil in the cylinder
per the instructions.
When I want to use it again what do I have to do?  The instructions don't go
into that.

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How do I measure plexiglass to replace a garage window?  I understand
plexiglass contracts & expands more than glass.  Any advice on this
project appreciated.

Thinking about adding insulation to the attic, which is floored over.
The easiest thing would be to put insulation on top of the flooring.
However, I need part of the space up there for storage.  If, say, I put
insulation all around except for an area in the middle, would that

I am installing slate tiles on my staircase.  I made a "bull-nose" for
each tread out of Ipe' hardwood by joining two pieces together with a
45degree lock miter joint.  I then used some 1" wide strips of Ipe'
along both sides of the treads and risers to form a frame.  So far so

My wife wants hardwood floors in or master bedroom to replace old
carpeting.   We are not planning to sell anytime soon but I don't want
to negatively impact resale value or do something unattractive to most
buyers.

I noticed that my automatic garage door kept popping open after
closing- then i noticed that one of the cables was off the drum.  the
main spring is fine and i got the door in the down position with the
cables attached to the drums- there is still some slack.  how do i fix

What is the best way to paint an existing popcorn ceiling? The room is
20x14. I can move everything out and I am 99% sure that it is  NOT made
with asbestos.
It is yellowing and crappy looking but I really dont want to remove it.

I plan on getting a roll of insulation at a time and start insulating
my garage.
Why a roll at a time?, i'm broke :) actually i have a lot of othert
things to do and a real tight budget so my plan is to buy a bag of

The previous owners of my home routed the flex duct from the bathroom fan
right to the underside of a normal roof vent and sort of wired it in place.
I'm about to re-roof the house, and although I'm tending away from this
idea, an acquaintance comes highly recommended for this ...