Tile these days is moving. It’s shifting away from the standard, functional floor and wall covering we’re all used to seeing, and towards becoming an art form in its own right. Out are the endless seas of tooth-white square tile of the past, and in its place have come pieces so striking that they’ve become a focal point all their own. Feel free to finally take down last decade’s framed prints of cappuccino mugs... more

People most often judge the quality of water by its taste. The scary fact is that you cannot taste, see, or even smell most contaminants. Since Portland water is so soft, it does a great job of leaching lead and lead solder from pipes and fixtures in older homes, and even from the city’s distribution system. Even at low levels, contaminants in drinking water have an impact on your long-term health. This is just a preview...Read... more

One option to consider when considering the purchase of a new kitchen is to contact a craftsman to have your cabinetry locally built. This offers a custom fit job, and can also make more options available to the homeowner. For example, Ron Ring of Cascadia Custom Cabinets offers not only the standard woods available but also a wide selection of other interesting choices. Cascadia promotes the use of local woods, ... more

You know what you want your new kitchen to look like, how you want the room to flow, how you want the workspace to work. Magazine articles and pictures have been clipped, advertising pored over, a hundred images downloaded from multitudes of cabinet websites, all stuffed into the overflowing manila folder marked “new kitchen.” But the measure of success ... more

There’s an elegance to pedestal sinks. When placed in a small bathroom they can give the bathroom a larger feel due to their small footprint. If you have a wood vanity and want to replace it with a pedestal sink you should hire a licensed plumber. The location of the drain and water supply lines is commonly lower than what you’ll need for a pedestal sink. If so, you’ll need to open up the wall to replace the plumbing. Also you’ll need to install blocking between studs that the sink will screw... more

Bathtubs, no matter who made them, eventually have their surfaces worn off through use, interaction with water deposits, standing water, but mostly the surfaces are worn off from harsh cleansers. No matter how hard you try, if you have an old worn-out tub, there is no way to get rid of the yellowing, or to get the dirt out of the cracks. This is where bathtub refinishing comes in. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

There are a multitude of choices to be made in planning a bathroom “Master Suite,” from the configuration and materials used in the bathing and shower areas to the type of lighting to be used throughout (it should be bright, with flexible ambient lighting as well as dedicated task lighting at required areas; makeup counters, shaving mirrors, etc.). There are space considerations: as amenities have grown in size and... more

In all the years that I’ve worked as a licensed contractor, the single-most frequently asked question by homeowners is about the dreaded toilet hiss. One day I asked a journeyman plumber friend what caused it and how to stop it. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →