Q: I have a question regarding my old fireplace, built in the 1920s with a brick facade that was added in the 1950s.

The brick facade has been painted white and is as ugly as can be. The fireplace also has a threshold that is 2 inches high, 5 feet, 2 inches wide, and 1 foot, 9 inches deep.  more...

Q: We have a spare bedroom and bath in the basement of our house. The stall shower had been lined with wall board with a vinyl or Formica-type surface. After more than 20 years of infrequent use in a damp basement, the surface began to blister.

We had a local handyman replace the shower enclosure with similar new paneling in 2005. The stuff he used is called melamine-faced panels, "ideal for tubs, showers and kitchens." I believe he bought it at Home Depot.  more...

Q: I have seen and read instructions for a mortarless flagstone walkway that stressed the importance of uniform thicknesses, even though the shapes are different.  more...

Q: Some of the rooms in my house have 9-foot ceilings. Isn't the standard height 8 feet? That is what the more "modern" rooms in the house are. I'm curious as to why they made some of the rooms 9 feet tall. The kitchen, which has a 9-foot ceiling, was built with cabinets that go all the way to the top and can be reached only by hauling a ladder in from the garage. Was there some logic in 1916 to building kitchen storage that is so inaccessible?  more...

Recently we relayed a reader's request for help. She was having difficulty finding a contractor to do some work on her home in Vallejo, Calif. Seems she couldn't find people who would show up when they said they'd show up, charge what they said they'd charge, and do what they said they'd do.

Our suggestion was to seek referrals from family, friends, co-workers, real estate agents and members of organizations to which she belonged. Our readers added Internet sites, homeowners associations and the Better Business Bureau to the list.  more...

Q: I am thinking of finishing off my attic and I am curious if interior remodels can overstress a house frame.

I assume it would be lighter to use paneling, but what about drywall? How much do those 4-by-8 sheets weigh? What about the weight of rolled insulation on the ceiling? I have a plaster interior and am not sure how well it can take weight stresses. How do you know if you must reinforce sections of the frame?  more...

Recently, we offered some suggestions to a reader in Vallejo, Calif., who could only be described as discouraged.

She was searching for a contractor to do some work at her home and was unable to get anyone to even look at work she needed done, much less do it. We offered our suggestions and at the end of the column asked readers to weigh in with their suggestions.  more...

Q: Can you give me some advice on tiling a bathroom wall -- well, half of the wall? The bathroom has an enclosed shower stall. All the remaining walls are painted drywall. I want to use 8-by-8-inch tumbled marble tile with beveled edges that's nearly a half-inch thick. I know this is not standard wall tile. I am hoping this is a do-it-yourself project.  more...

Q: We recently purchased an older home and have no idea how old the water heater is. When the water is heating up, we hear a loud bubbling sound as if the water is boiling. Is this normal?

In addition, it recently started giving off an odor resembling rotten eggs. We thought the pilot light was out, but it wasn't. We even called the fire department to check and they said it was fine.

Do you think our water heater is broken or defective?

A: Your water heater isn't broken or defective; it's probably just old and maybe worn out.  more...

Q: The grout on my 2-year-old bathroom tile is giving off a white, powdery, film-like substance. I let the shower dry for a number of days and then used sealant on the grout, but the problem persists.

Any idea of what is going on and what I should do about it?

A: Unfortunately, we have a pretty good idea of what's going on. You can apply all the sealer in the world, but it won't help. The problem lies with the grout itself. The grout was either the wrong type or it was improperly mixed when it was applied, or both.  more...

Q: We have cedar shingles on our home and love them. We had a difficult time finding someone to restore them until I mentioned it to a retired contractor. He had leftover oil preservative, which his son-in-law used to paint the shingles for $800. Now it's time to do it again.

However, our daughter and son-in-law are buying our home, and their friends said the ugliest thing about this house is the wood shingles. They think they will take the shingles down and put up stucco. Is that possible?  more...

Q: I have read many times that when hiring professionals to work on one's home that three bids, with references, are preferred. Unfortunately, I have a problem with that method.

While it sounds prudent, I live in a place (Vallejo, Calif.) where I can't get a single pro to come out to my house, let alone three of them. I have been stood up many times and have been disappointed with the few that have come out. It seems that people wish to work on new home developments.

Most of my neighbors are do-it-yourselfers, but I am not so confident, nor do I have the time.  more...

Q: I live in a San Francisco Victorian that has had the rear porch enclosed and later turned into a room. The room is attached to the kitchen, and the floor is finished in terra cotta tiles. The supports holding the addition up have been settling over the years.

We purchased the house six years ago with the intent of tearing down the porch and building an addition. We are in the planning stages, but construction won't start until some time in the summer.

Because the pilings are settling, there is some warping in the floor, which has caused some tiles to come loose.  more...

Q: I read (and kept) your column about how to restore a Victorian's front staircase. I, too, own a Victorian house, in Oakland, Calif., with wooden stairs that need to be restored. Your article was very helpful, but I have a couple of questions about replacing them. What is the best new lumber to replace the old 2-by-12s? I would expect to paint them. Also, should I use wood screws to fasten the treads?  more...

Once again it's time to dig into the question bag. Some of the questions we get don't lend themselves to a full column. Others present a different twist to subjects we've dealt with previously. Either way, here are three questions and answers that we think provide some valuable information.  more...