Seen while walking . . . here are some ways urbanites try to keep dogs and their droppings off private property. Now if only dogs could learn to read, we’d be all set. Any other “doggie don’t” strategies?
<p><a onclick=”window.open(this.href, ‘_blank’, ‘width=288,height=384,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/2008/02/10/vinecoveredhouse.jpg”><img title=”Vinecoveredhouse” height=”333″ alt=”Vinecoveredhouse” src=”http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/images/2008/02/10/vinecoveredhouse.jpg” width=”250″ border=”0″ style=”FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 5px” /></a>This is my own dilemma:</p> <p><strong>Question</strong>: I love the look of vine-covered houses, which look to me like storybook houses. But my husband hates it. We do have invasive ivy growing on our house, and it’s awful. It…
This is my own dilemma: Question: I love the look of vine-covered houses, which look to me like storybook houses. But my husband hates it. We do have invasive ivy growing on our house, and it’s awful. It pushes its way under the roof rafters and into the house. And it gets full of dust…
I’ll be blogging live next month from the International Builders Show in Orlando, Fla., but manufacturers are introducing so many new products now that I’m getting a head start. One of these is TimberWolf, a wood-composite fencing material made by FiberTech Polymers of Santa Ana. The fencing is manufactured, the company says, from 100% post-consumer…
I’m loving my new solar-powered fountain, which gives me the soothing sounds of water outside my office window without running up my electric bill. And I feel connected to nature, as the fountain begins running in the morning only after the sun comes up. Because it has a 6-volt battery that gets charged up during…
The story you are about to hear is shocking, so don’t fall off your chair when I tell you: The remodel of this 1948 Hawthorne home was designed by a 16-year-old, David, and built by him and his father Norbert, a schoolteacher, during a summer break. Since then, David has been accepted into the respected…
Reader Martin L. sends this request: I need to re-roof my wood shake canyon home in Los Angeles. We are considering Japanese ceramic tile, and that requires an engineering certification. What’s a good source for engineers who will do this work in L.A. We’ve contacted a couple who “refuse” L.A. jobs. Thanks. Any ideas for…
I'm looking for a new attitude for this table project and all projects to come. Up until now, my favorite parts of a project have been the moment I decide to do it, and the moment it's done. I want to learn how to savor the process, that stuff in between. For this table (yes…
I'm a hypocrite when it comes to the "dump pile" out behind Bill's workshop. While I've been critical of that pile over the years, and begged Bill to get rid of it, I also have no trouble adding to it. And it came to pass that I wanted to toss this table in the pile.…
In the days or weeks between the time you choose your house colors and the day the paint goes on, doubt can creep in. “Oh, man, that’s bright,” the painting contractor thought when he visited the house with the colors I wanted him to match. “It looks like clown colors,” his lead man told him.…