Recent content by WestBentley

I'm not talking about a full on hot water system, but the individually sold baseboards that come with water (oil?) sealed inside them to retain the heat after the electric part of the heatin unit has turned off, so you use less power overall... Does anyone have any links or info on how much...

Follow up question to this - how do we know which type of plugs to buy? We were browsing the electrical section and there were about 3 types of plugs that appeared to be the same on the surface - 3 pronged holes, etc. But they were 'back wired' or some other names. What type of plug does a...

Ok, so if I get CFL's that are higher than 27w and made for enclosed fixtures, I'm good to go? These are still dim even after powering up. I thought we had the right bulbs for enclosed fixtures but will have to double check, we aren't living there yet so the bulbs aren't on for very long...

If you are using the Energy Star flourescent lights, can you put in a light that is lower wattage than the max for your fixture, but is "equivalent" to a higher wattage in conventional bulbs? The two overhead fixtures we chose turned out to be not as bright as we expected, we are currently...

Um, how do I know if my walls are in line?

So it turns out the task that Aaron and I chose for last week - cleaning and painting the doors, so that we could re-hang them - may have been a complete waste. The doors are seriously warped and it appears the frames for the doors are also messed up. Unfortunately I forgot to take pics...

Aaron is concerned that metal pipe will be much harder to work with and much more expensive... do you have any thoughts/input? He's most likely the one to do it, so difficulty matters to him. We are newbies at this stuff and if I help (I may not be much of a help!) it'd probably just be...

I don't have pics of the old vanity.. we haven't purchased the new stuff at all yet (we're going to Lowes this weekend to stock up on some stuff). I think the sink is separate from the cabinet, but purchased in the same "kit" - can't tell from online descriptions. I think it's the same size...

We aren't changing any sizes, just using the old "box" type and new but same sized hose to connect it to a different spot. It's for the AC only, as AC was added later. BTW, how big of an issue do you guys think the whole near-a-baseboard thing is? The place is plenty warm now, the cold air...

I was wondering how easy or hard it would be to replace things like the drain cover, or the spout (where it comes out if you want a bath instead), or drain switch in a one piece plastic tub? They are rusty and dingy, so I was hoping to get shiny new pieces. Also, what about replacing the...

Is there a way to take the top part off a toilet (I know it came in two parts, I saw them install it) so that I can reach behind the toilet and peel off old wallpaper, then repaint? Somehow the last owner got the wallpaper perfectly behind the toilet and I can't reach it well enough to...

How easy or hard is it to remove a vanity w/sink and replace it? Is it just a matter of turning off water and unhooked pipes? What about putting in a recessed/inserted type medicine cabinet? Just make the hole and put it in, screw in place?

I'm not that worried about that heater's performance, as it's a baseboard heater on an interior (??) wall, kinda unneccessary. I also thought that rather than having a potential draft by our counter, having it by a heater would counter-act any cold air issues. What size/diameter/type of pipe...

Currently, the cold air return for our system is right next to the edge of our counter where the kitchen meets the dining room. It's really awkward and I can just see us dropping small items down the shaft by accident. So I want to move it to the other side of the dining room, just about 10...

Aaron and I are definitely going to pull up the old vinyl flooring in our kitchen.. it's original, so no multilayers. I was wondering what tools/materials we need to take it up and any troubleshooting tips you might have!