washington post articles

Q: DEAR TIM: I have a chance to take a $250 course on electrical wiring that covers how to change outlets, switches, light fixtures, rewiring circuits, etc. I'm terrified of electricity and use a stick to trip my circuit breakers.

There are so many lectures, seminars and workshops at botanical and estate gardens, arboretums and parks in the Washington area that there's not room for me to list them all.

Q: Our white kitchen countertop, made of plastic laminate, is stained from spills of things like red wine, curry and fruit juice. How can I clean it?

Q: DEAR TIM: I'm about to start a window replacement project. My husband wants vinyl windows because of the easy maintenance, but I'm not a big fan. The number of choices is making it hard for me to decide which kind of windows to install. What are the best replacement windows?

Most homeowners approach landscape design in a way that is meant to meet their immediate need, whether that is screening, groundcover, shade or flowering plants. The proper approach to landscape design is multi-dimensional -- considering interest on ground, vertical and overhead planes.

For more than 20 years, architect and author Witold Rybczynski has focused on the houses and lifestyles of ordinary people.

Tired of that leaky, single-stream shower head left over from the Nixon administration?

Q: We have a shaky end post on our stairway. How do we tighten it up?

Post Home Section staffers Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza take questions on your decorating dilemmas. This week they offer tips on making your home more energy-efficient as they reveal the results of an "energy audit" at Jura's house.

Q: DEAR TIM: I'm in the market for a home security system, but there seem to be so many aspects that it's rapidly getting confusing. Should I be looking at a wireless system? If the price is too high for what I want, should I consider a do-it-yourself system? -- Marty V., Hartford, Conn.

It's time to answer your garden questions again -- in winter, when time is spent out of the garden, planning what can be done to enhance it in spring.

Q: We sometimes get a strong sewer odor in our house, especially when we run the washing machine. Someone told us the traps to some of our drains might have dried out, letting sewer gas enter the house. What are your thoughts?

During the energy crisis in the 1970s, interest in heating with wood surged, particularly in regions where oil or electricity were primary heat sources.

Post Home Section staffers Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza take questions on your decorating dilemmas. This week they get a sneak peek inside Blair House, the White House's official guest house.

Q: DEAR TIM: My husband installed a new gasket on the toilet in our master bathroom as part of adding a new ceramic tile floor. He's pretty handy, but I soon noticed a sewer gas odor in this room. There wasn't an odor before. He can't smell it, and I'm reluctant to have him do the job over. The t...