Dear Kathy: My wife and I are planning several remodeling projects around the house, among them are the usual bathroom and kitchen projects. My wife would like to have a wall torn down (pending code approval of course). She also tends to do things without proper foresight, i.e., without thinking of the consequences. This is…
Q: My bathtub is a mess, and a friend told me to consider refinishing. I read online that bathtub re-glazing might not be the wisest thing. I've always wanted a clawfoot bathtub, but maybe it's not too practical. To further complicate things, there is a possibility that my mother will come live with me, so…
Susan Serra, an acclaimed kitchen designer who lives and breathes kitchens, now offers one-hour phone consultations. We can't all be lucky enough to live near a kitchen designer whose work has appeared in many major magazines. But her wisdom and insight is still available: Here's what Susan posted on her blog, The Kitchen Designer: I've…
By Michael McCutcheon for the Mercury News Q: How can I keep my home and family safe during a remodel? A: That's a great question. Clients usually dwell on price vs. quality, and the remodeling schedule, but rarely do they seriously consider the safety of their family and home during a remodel. Yet I would argue…
Dear Kathy: I am planning a major remodeling in a 12-year-old house we just bought and I’ve been reading your blog articles for the past week. I found them very informative and inspiring. Most importantly, they are very practical and also very fun – a rare combination to find among remodeling articles nowadays! Now I…
Question: My house was built 20 years ago with a second-story redwood deck that is about 250 square feet. The deck has been stained, power-washed and decently maintained. But some of the deck joists and all four uprights have been diagnosed with dry rot/fungus and dry-wood termites. Should I replace the damaged joists and uprights…
Question: I have hated my brick fireplace since day one of living in my otherwise-fabulous home. I have considered removing the brick altogether and creating a brand-new one by placing stucco over it with a mantle, or painting the brick white and adding a rich, dark wooden mantle on top. Actually, a Williams-Sonoma home store…
<p><a onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘_blank’, ‘width=450,height=600,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0′); return false” href=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/11/sunsetfireplace.jpg”><img title=”Painted fireplace” height=”333″ alt=”Painted fireplace” src=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/images/2008/06/11/sunsetfireplace.jpg” width=”250″ border=”0″ style=”FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 5px” /></a><strong>Question</strong>: I have hated my brick fireplace since day one of living in my otherwise-fabulous home. I have considered removing the brick altogether and creating a brand-new one by placing stucco over it with a mantle,…
Question: I was recently building a children's playhouse and began to put the walls up. As I did, the neighbor who lives behind me came over and said that we were blocking her view. The view she has is of the back of our house. The playhouse would be approximately 8 to 9 inches above…
At the urging of reader “tarbubble,” I asked the designers at Pamela Burton & Company what lawn substitutes they used on their award-winning Malibu landscape (which was featured previously on this blog). I got a response from Burton associate Stephen Billings. First of all, regarding grasses in lieu of lawn, he recommends referring to the…