Mason :

My home is 12 years old, in beautiful Beaverdam. My heel went through the shower floor of the Lasco one-piece pre-fab 47"W x 34"D x 72"H fiberglass shell.  The break is 4.5".  While on my hands and knees, I noticed two small sets of spiderweb cracks in addition to the big break.

My wife says time for a tiled shower. I say let's get it repaired.  How do we decide? 

Steve S.

Steve,

I am sure you've heard that old joke about how men shower versus how women shower.  It starts with the man undressing in the bedroom, leaving his clothes on a heap in the floor, laughing as he shakes his stuff

Mason, enjoy your articles. After 12 years in the refacing business, I finally started my own co. What do you think of the laminate and veneer process? Since I am now also doing sales, I could use any sales pitches you might have.  Thanks!

Kirk B Reno, NV

Kirk,

Congratulations on taking the jump to ownership.  Remember, you're not your own boss... now you have so many more bosses - your customers!

I confess that when I first read your inquiry, I felt a bit like Sarah Palin being quizzed on the Bush Plan.  I want to fess up "Gee, gize, I'm not likely a good source to comment on the technicalities

Everyone is familiar with those shows on cable television, following the processes wherein homes are bought and sold.  Designed to Sell, House Hunters, Curb Appeal, and others have become Home & Garden TV phenomena.

While so much of home improvement television is deeply rooted in fantasy, these shows have some real-world applications.  Richmond's own Nancy Frazier of Long & Foster Real Estate is likely one of the most experienced and successful agents in our area.  Over the course of hundreds of listings, sales and buyer representation, Nancy has learned exactly what attracts buyers, and makes

Mason:

It appears that we have a leak from an upstairs shower, right over our dining room table below. Is this a job for a plumber or a handyman service, or what?

Bob S., Glen Allen, VA

Bob,

Most know that the works of Frank Lloyd Wright were fraught with technical problems.  I recall the story of an angry letter from Edgar Kaufmann (owner of the famous Fallingwater house) to Mr. Wright, complaining of a roof leak over his dining room table.  Wright's flip response:  "What a perfect place for a bowl!".

Seriously, though, let's first get familiar with the particulars of your shower, toward

Mason,

I have a small (1400 sf) old Cape. There is a wall with a double-door opening that separates the living room from a small sunroom. Around the corner from that, there is a tiny bathroom and corridor that separates that sunroom from the kitchen. I'd really like to remove the wall and the bathroom and open the whole space up. My question is, what are the factors that need to be considered to do this and keep my house from falling down? I hear the term "load bearing wall" and don't really know how to tell. And, what if it is? Can I still open up the space? 

This clearly is a job for a pro