As a home owner/renter you can increase the efficiency of your heating system by doing a few fall tune-ups. The heating unit itself should not be tampered with. If you feel that your heating system is not performing to past standards call a licensed heating specialist. Gas, electric, and oil burning units carry high voltage and could impose a serious injury or health hazard. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Air Filter Replacement Changing the air filter is a simple fix. The purpose of a filter... more

Kitchen Design for a Room That Can’t Be a Kitchen Kitchen designers worth their salt are dedicated to the idea that through the course of their work they will create a functional and appealing room. In a new home a well-designed kitchen is pretty standard issue. But that’s not the way it was a hundred years ago. The kitchen then was usually barebones functional and more often than not equipped for no more than one cook at a time. Sometime after 1909 this bungalow was modified by adding... more

Here are some do’s and don’ts to help keep your hardwood floor looking like new: Enemy Number 1: Water Regardless of its finish your floor will quickly lose its luster if exposed to water. More serious damage is also possible including warping and other problems. DO: Wipe up any spills immediately with a soft, dry cloth, starting at the edges of the spill and working your way toward the center. DON’T:... more

Nelson Hardwood floors have come a long way in the last quarter century. We are now seeing hardwood floors in kitchens, baths, and utility rooms. In choosing a floor, you need to know what types of wood you have to work with. Hardwood floors are healthier than wall-to-wall carpeting. They keep down such allergy-producing matter as dust, pollen, and animal dander. Installing hardwood floors can greatly increase... more

You may be able to sell it without an agent. When my wife and I were about to sell our home in Southwest Portland a few months ago, we decided that before we hired a realtor, we would try for a few weeks to sell the house ourselves. It cost us about $150 to buy several “For Sale by Owner” (FSBO) signs and advertise in the Oregonian classifieds for four consecutive Sundays. And $150, we felt, was worth risking to possibly save ourselves... more

The average U.S. household spends over $1,300 per year on their home utility bills for heating or cooling. Unfortunately, a large part of that energy is wasted unnecessarily. We Americans waste, through poorly insulated windows and doors, about as much energy as we get from the Alaskan pipeline every year. The typical home loses over 25% of its heat through its windows. However, by using a few simple inexpensive energy-efficient... more

Retro Fit Radiant Heating Into Your Older Home Imagine yourself curled up at home on a typical cold, rainy Northwest autumn afternoon. You put your feet to the floor, expecting the usual bone-chilling arctic freeze. Instead, your toes touch a warm surface that radiates gentle heat up toward your limbs like asphalt on a summer night. This is radiant floor heat. Another plus to radiant heating is that it can be installed... more

Combining the high heat of an oven with the low temperatures of a refrigerator would have a negative effect on both. Not the case. This appliance can even be temporarily used as a convenient second refrigerator for short-term storage of food and beverages. Cold air is generated from a compressor that feeds through a vent at the top left of the oven cavity, circulates through the cavity,... more