Home Improvement
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Ask the plumber: Matching bath-fixture finishes should be simpleMay 13, 2012 1:00 am - Q. Thanks for all the free plumbing advice you have given me over the years! I’m installing new faucets and towel bars in my master bathroom. The finish on the fauc...
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Home fix: Replacing both springs keeps garage door in balanceMay 12, 2012 5:00 am - Q. I’m going to replace a broken spring for our garage door. The home-store salesman said I needed to replace both springs even though only one is broken. Is this true? ...
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How to know when to call in the painting prosMay 12, 2012 5:00 am - It’s hard to escape the commercials. In just 30 seconds, two average homeowners pick a shade, move some furniture, pull out the rollers and, voila!, a new room. Pai...
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Super handyman: Be prepared in case of an emergencyMay 11, 2012 5:35 am - Hardly a day goes by when we don’t hear about an earthquake, tornado or flood. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, you must be doing something right! But surely your luck ...
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Home inspector: Unpermitted addition worries homeownerMay 11, 2012 5:08 am - Q. Where have you been all my life, or at least since we bought our home? Here’s our problem. A den was added to the house some time in the past, and we don’t know if th...
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Aficionados seek top quality in grills in suburbsMay 07, 2012 6:00 am - Andy Workinger is not the type to embrace disposable consumer goods. That's one reason he loves Solaire Infrared Grills. Workinger sells Solaire grills, but his persona...
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Designer turns Midwestern ranch into Old World masterpieceMay 06, 2012 6:00 am - As an interior designer, Brian Ellingson has overseen a lot of home makeovers, but probably none more dramatic than his own. How dramatic? He started with a basic 1950s ...
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Home repair: There’s no clear winner when choosing floor varnishMay 06, 2012 5:35 am - Q. We are planning to hire professionals to refinish our hardwood floors. They were originally finished long ago with an oil-based polyurethane varnish. Now we are havin...
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$ensible home: Tips on choosing a skylightMay 06, 2012 5:30 am - Q. I want to reduce my electric bills, especially with the upcoming summer’s air-conditioning costs. I thought about installing a skylight or tubular skylight so I need ...
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Home fix: Broken sewer pipe contaminates soilMay 06, 2012 5:00 am - Q. I have an older home with a bothersome smell. After maneuvering into the dirt crawl space under the house, a broken pipe was discovered. It had probably been leaking ...