Handy home adviser – Solutions to common household problems and ideas for making your home a better place to live. Home repair encyclopedia…

hardware ordering tips

Types of Wall Coverings - How to Re-Create Wallpapers

There are three types of historic wall coverings. Replica papers copy the originals in all aspects, using historically accurate color, ink, paper, and even the original manufacturing technique. But this types of wall coverings are costly, especially…
Wallpapers With a Past

You Can Use Wallpaper With a Past for Your House

Use reproduction wallcoverings to add an instant — and affordable — touch of history to your home. Above: The sumptuously papered study of The Wren's Nest, the Atlanta home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus books. Left:…
hardware ordering tips

Substituting Inferior Products

Substituting Inferior Products Some remodelers sell homeowners one product and install another. When they write the contract, they "forget" to specify the exact brand and model. They may even refuse to put that information in, citing changing…
hardware ordering tips

Protect Yourself Against Home Improvement Scams

There are a few common-sense rules for hiring a home-improvement contractor. Following them practically guarantees you won't be defrauded: Check your contractor's references and contact the Better Business Bureau and the state consumer-protection…
hardware ordering tips

A Deal Too Good to Be True

A Deal Too Good to Be True One afternoon, a contractor stopped by a woman's home in Topeka, Kansas, and told her he had noticed cracks in her driveway. He offered to apply a fresh coat of asphalt at a good price, since he had some material…
Top 10 Home Improvement Scams

The Top 10 Home Improvement Scams

It's not that contractors are inherently dishonest, but con artists sometimes pose as contractors. Here's how to recognize trouble when it comes knocking at your door. BY TOM PHILBIN One home-improvement contractor from Milwaukee had an easy…
hardware ordering tips

Eye on design - Bathing beauty

A simple makeover transforms an out-of-date bath into a bathing beauty. When seeking a house in the suburbs in which to raise a family, many young couples are faced with a distressing scenario. The neighborhood may be wonderful, the commute…
hardware ordering tips

Secrets of Ordering Door Hardware

Hardware makes a house work. Without it, everything falls apart; drawers, doors, and windows won't open or close; and visitors must rely on their fists instead of door knockers to announce their presence. But door hardware is much more than…