Gene Austin

Preventing water pipes from freezing is an annual struggle in many homes. Poorly planned plumbing and poor weather sealing often are to blame for frozen pipes, which sometimes cause major...

Deteriorated caulk around a bathtub, sink or shower is not just unsightly. If the caulk develops leaks so that water gets into the walls behind the fixture or onto the...

Picking paint that suits the project is a big step toward achieving an attractive, long-lasting paint job. For example, the paint's luster or sheen will help determine its ability to...

Linoleum, a popular flooring material for more than 100 years, dropped out of fashion for residential use in the mid-1970s. But new processes have made linoleum more durable. The flooring's...

Loans of 30 years and 15 years have become the standards for fixed-rate mortgages, but an official of one of the nation`s largest lending firms says scarce 20-year mortgages make...

Q-I bought a house several years ago that has interior walls finished with dry wall and paint. The problem is that paint seems to peel from the drywall. The walls...

A typical storm/screen door can help reduce heat loss in winter and keep bugs out of the home in summer, but it is virtually useless for security against intruders. Flimsy...

Q-We have a cement-block garage that gets very cold in winter-so cold that last winter one of our cars wouldn`t start. The roof of the garage is well vented. We...

Q-I want to put new flooring in my kitchen, which has old linoleum. I`ve been getting a lot of conflicting advice about what to do about the old covering: Leave...