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Design & Remodeling, Personal Spaces, Remodeling
When your pastime begins to crowd out people or spaces in the home, it may be time to think about creating a special hobby room. Hobbies help reduce stress through creativity and escape, so consider this project beneficial to your overall well being. Here are the key...
Before & After, Exterior Design, Roofing, Siding, Water Management, Windows & Doors
The Before and After Story of a St. Louis Exterior Update If you love the way your older home looks, an exterior remodel need not be a dramatic before and after story. Let’s take a look at how to replace and update most of a home’s exterior while retaining...
Q & A, Repairs & Advice
Question We’re in the middle of a kitchen remodel and when the sink water valves were cut off there were calcium pellets inside the hot water pipe, only (photo above). We always had issues with the hot water pressure being weaker than the cold, and it takes forever to...
Q & A, Repairs & Advice, Water Management, Windows & Doors
We frequently hear from homeowners seeking answers to repair and maintenance problems. Many of these questions and answers are compiled in our Home Improvement Library. Here is a recent question. Question I have a 9-year old house with a tall wall of atrium windows,...
Architecture, Before & After, Design & Remodeling, Remodeling
The family moved into their Sunset Hills, MO ranch home, built in 1965, in 2011. They love the neighborhood, the town and most everything about the house. The home met all their needs, yet they longed for a more spacious, less cramped feel, akin to the hunting lodges...
Kitchens
New cabinets are normally the biggest item of a kitchen remodel, realistically using anywhere from 15% – 35% of your budget. The range is so wide is because you have three basic options for which type of cabinets to use: stock, semi-custom, or custom cabinets....
Q & A, Roofing
We frequently hear from homeowners seeking answers to repair and maintenance problems. Many of these questions and answers are compiled in our Home Improvement Library. Here is a recent question. Question I have black streaks on the north side of my roof. What causes...
Before & After, Decks, Outdoor Living, Room Additions, Siding
What’s not to love about spending a gorgeous day outdoors? Imagine if you had the option to do it completely out in the open, or in the breezy shade of a screen porch. That’s what the owners of a Kirkwood, MO home, built in 1978, had in mind when they...
Home Improvement Library, Plumbing
I suspect a blockage in two probable areas prone to problems with disposals. My first suggestion is to check your P-trap pipe below the disposal and sink, and clear it of any solid waste that may be caught there. The second place to check for blockage is a hole on the...
Brick & Masonry, Home Improvement Library
The mortar mix you see in those bags or tubes is probably not going to match your existing mortar in color and strength. This is especially true if your house was built prior to the 1950’s. Houses built prior to the 1950’s “usually” used site-mixed mortars...
Home Improvement Library, Water & Moisture
The reason mold accumulates only behind pictures on the exterior walls is due to condensation caused by the interior of your home being cool with a relatively high humidity level and the exterior being warm during the summer months. It works in exactly the same way...
Home Improvement Library, Plumbing, Rid-X
Q: How can I safely clean the pipes in my house? A: We have found an additional user for Rid-X Septic Tank Cleanser: as a safe and natural way to keep the insides of all plumbing lines clean. Rid-X is a bacterial enzyme that breaks down waste in septic tanks, but it...
Cleaning, Home Improvement Library, Plumbing
FOR FLUSHING ISSUES Turn off the water to the toilet, flush the toilet to minimize the water in the bowl, and pour in a gallon of vinegar to remove scale and mineral deposits. Leave the vinegar in the toilet for 24-48 hours. This may improve the flushing. The goal is...
Home Improvement Library, Insulation
I would automatically assume that there is probably not any insulation in the walls. If there is, it is probably vermiculite granules which settle over time, leaving a large void at the top of the walls. This was somewhat common in that era. The easiest way to see...
Concrete, Home Improvement Library, HVAC
First, use expanding foam to fill the ductwork below the floor at each register. Just foam block the area near the floor hole with foam. Then mix up some pre-mix concrete and dump it into the hole in the floor into the ductwork. Fill the duct register hole with the...
