Q: I own a 40-plus-year-old house that has been remodeled from time to time and looks modern and is well-kept. Presently, I need to remove the "cottage cheese" ceiling from one large room. Is it in my best interest to remove this from all the rooms in the house? --Lorna K.  more...

All of us are concerned about our energy bills and are looking for ways to save money, especially during the cold winter months. One of the best places you can start is by having an energy audit done on your home. Energy audits analyze all of the areas of your home where you might be wasting energy -- and, obviously, your hard-earned dollars -- and provide solutions both large and small.  more...

Q: We have aluminum siding and single-pane aluminum windows. We would like to replace the old windows with new vinyl ones, but were wondering if that's possible with the aluminum siding. Also, how do we find a quality window? --Hugh S.

A: The difficulty in replacing windows in homes with aluminum siding has to do with how the windows were originally installed. Aluminum windows are usually installed by attaching them through a flange to the wall framing, and then the flange is covered with the siding.  more...

When it comes to lighting, few places in the home are more important than the kitchen. From general lighting to specific task lighting, a well-designed lighting plan makes the use and enjoyment of any kitchen a much brighter undertaking.

GENERAL LIGHTING

General lighting is what comes on as you first enter the room. It should brighten up the room well enough that you can see to enter and move around the room, and to perform basic tasks, such as getting something out of the refrigerator.  more...

Q: We need some help selecting a heating and cooling system for a 3,000-square-foot house we're going to have built. Our area has lots of cold, sunny winters, and natural gas is not available. We're primarily considering a heat pump powered by either electricity, propane (we're worried about high fuel costs) or geothermal (we're worried about rocky soil). We were also wondering about solar heating. Keep up the great column! --Laurie L.  more...

It's always a tough situation when a major appliance, such as your furnace, decides it's had enough of working for a living and chooses to quit producing any more heat. You have the heating contractor out to examine the situation, and you end up with options to repair the old furnace, replace it with a new one of the same type, or replace it with an upgraded model that is more energy efficient.  more...

Q: I have several questions about replacing the linoleum in my house, which was built in 1981. Is there any possibility that the old linoleum contains asbestos? If so, are there special requirements for removing it? Can I just install new underlayment and new flooring directly over the old floor, without removing it? Do I need to cut out the old subfloor in order to fix squeaks in the floor? Thanks! --Jeff G.  more...

You've all seen the safety warnings that are listed as the first page or two in the instruction manual that accompanies every new tool. And if you're like most people, you've probably only glanced at them in your enthusiasm to get that tool unpacked -- if you've read them at all.  more...

Q: My house was constructed in 1955, and in the basement laundry area I have cast-iron drain pipes that are oozing tar from the joints. What products/procedures would I use to repair them? --U. W.  more...

You've no doubt heard about lithium-ion batteries by now, and have probably heard some of the claims about what an improvement they are over past battery technologies. So what exactly is lithium-ion, and is it really any better?  more...