Q: I live in an 18-year-old condo in San Mateo, Calif. It is on the top floor of a three-story building. When the condo just below me has a fire in the fireplace, I get noxious fumes–like when a candle has been snuffed–that continue as long as the fire lasts. The chimney pipes are separate but side by side and the same height. What should I do?  more...

Q: My redwood deck, which has never had any type of waterproofing or other protective coating put on it, always turns black after I power wash it. Whatever this black stuff is, it comes off on shoes, socks, skin, material–I can't even lean on the railing for fear of getting black soot on my clothes.

I have had several redwood decks in the past and have never had this happen before. What is it? What causes it? What can I do to prevent it? –John, San Francisco  more...

Q: I want to paint my master bedroom, but I don't know what to do about the sliding closet doors. I know I can paint the Masonite, but I am unsure about the trim, which appears to be a powder-coated metal.

The painted trim that I have seen looks pretty tacky, but then the doors are pretty tacky, so I'm considering replacing them. A casual perusal of a couple of home stores, however, has revealed only mirrored doors (yuck) – so I am wondering what you would suggest.  more...

Q: Every time it rains hard and with wind blowing from a certain direction, water comes down my kitchen range hood's ventilation pipe. Usually the water is contained to the two plastic drawers at the back of the hood. But during a recent storm, water dripped from one of the two fans.  more...

Q: Several years ago, maybe three, I had my driveway and parking area covered with new blacktop (asphalt). Because I live on a hillside and the driveway is steep, the contractor compacted it with hand machines, not a "steamroller" as I would have preferred. The parking area is slightly inclined toward the driveway. Now, cracks have appeared – some long, some short – in both areas, the driveway and parking. How do I treat this problem to contain it? Is regular maintenance required on blacktop?  more...

Q: What are the disadvantages to retrofit windows as opposed to the advantages of new-construction windows?

I've been shopping for new windows for my home and have found that labor and materials for retrofit windows is about one-half the cost of new-construction windows.

I understand that with retrofit windows the old window is removed and the new window is installed into the old window frame, which certainly cuts down on labor.  more...

Q: My walls and ceiling were plastered and at some point covered with wallpaper. Then they were painted over several times. Now, hairline and bigger cracks are appearing. I have to refinish these walls and ceilings soon, but I am loath to paint them again. I also don't think I have the stomach to face the mess resulting from removing the wallpaper and plaster and replacing it with Sheetrock.

Instead, I thought of covering them with burlap fabric, leaving it for a while to adhere and then painting the surfaces, resulting in a textured finish.  more...

Q: Last year we bought a small (less than 1,000 square feet) condo, with two bedrooms and 1½ baths. Although the condo is in good shape for being 22 years old, it has not had any major improvements other than a bad tile job in the kitchen.

We would like to add a whirlpool tub in the main bathroom, but the only way for it to fit would be to remove a wall and extend the bathroom into the closet of the second bedroom. As I understand it, that would make the second bedroom a den.  more...

Q: We had our backyard fence replaced last year. The new fence is redwood, with lattice on top, in a neighbor-friendly style. It is exactly 1 year old and has darkened to a grayish hue. I was told we should have stained it to preserve it.

Was it necessary to stain it? Is it too late to do this now?

A: As homeowners and renovators we've faced many of the dilemmas presented to us, including this one. Both of us have had to figure out what to do with discolored redwood in fences or decks.  more...

Q: We built a new home in 1984 and hung grass cloth on one wall. The wallboard was not textured, but the remaining walls in the area were. I would like to remove the grass cloth and either wallpaper or paint the wall. Can I paper or paint over it?

A: Let's see, grass cloth wall covering – was that before or after shag carpets and harvest gold appliances?  more...

Q: Our house was built in 1949 and has a split-level layout with a flat tar-and-gravel roof. Shortly after we moved in, a leak was discovered coming from the lower, smaller portion of the roof. It was replaced with a multilayer tar-paper version. The roof is fine except for a fairly large low spot. The water sits about an inch deep and remains four or five days before evaporating.

What is the easiest, most economical way to get rid of the standing water? I'm thinking of placing gravel in the low spot – but wondered if you had another suggestion.  more...

Q: Our new kitchen is going to require some custom cabinets, and my husband would like to build them himself to save money. I am concerned that the finishing touches will be compromised and shortly upon completion we will see them yellow, peel or warp. Any ideas on how we can seal or coat the cabinets? –Isabelle (Burlingame, Calif.)  more...

Q: I am living with my elderly parents and making some repairs. One of the bathrooms has a towel rack that is hanging on by one screw; the other screw has created a largish hole in the wall. Having tried various larger screws that spread out inside the wall without success, I am afraid I'll have to replace a piece of the wall.

Can you offer me any other alternative? Could you please explain the process for replacing a small area of Sheetrock to give the old screw a new and sturdy home? –Hilarie (Woodside, Calif.)  more...