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Small houses cost so much less to operate and are so much easier to keep clean.

No - haven't heard of any cases here in eastern Montana - knock on wood!

We live on a large piece of land way out away from the world. Whenever we have drainage problems in new fields, etc. we create a suitably sized sump. The sump catches the water and the additional surface area of the inside of the hole helps perk it away fast. The more water that is in the sump...

Thanks for the chuckle!

The holes should be 4 feet deep, not 4 inches. The hole dramatically increases the surface area for the water to perk out of. The weight of the water also helps with the perking - as the hole fills, the water is heavier and pushes the water down into the ground faster. It is possible for the...

Since it's illegal to divert the natural flow of water such that it causes problems to others, you might consider making a sump or two. Here's how we do it: Bore a hole(s) in the lowest spots. We use a 12" tractor auger, but if you can't 3 - 6" hand auger holes placed to make one large hole...

We have a nice PC router. It's been on the job now for about 20 years, and has performed flawlessly. We did have to replace the cord when it got dry and started to crack, but that's it. I give PC high marks! We also have a RotoZip, which gets a LOT of work. It's great for fitting panels over...

You can change file extensions in Explorer, however, that will not change the actual program data stored in the file. In other words, you cannot convert an AVI file to a MOV file simply by changing the file extension. You can actually convert the file, but you'd need special software for that...

Yes, if more people bought solar and wind alternatives, they'd be cheaper - no doubt. Unfortunately, I am confident that Obama does not plan to make realistic tax breaks available. If the administration was serious about getting Americans into using alternative energy, they'd give a 90-100% tax...

I believe the problems with using these sources are identical: not enough people are using them, so the costs are prohibitive. Also, the technology is lagging. Our system runs on a 24-volt battery bank. We know we'll have to replace these very costly batteries (Rolls Surrette) in time - probably...

We have both a DeWalt DW703 10" Compound Miter Saw and a Makita 12" Dual Slide Compound Miter Saw (Model: LS1214). The Makita is very heavy and hard to move around. We use the DeWalt for almost all framing needs. The makita is great for larger lumber and greater angles. Right now we are working...

In the world of wind energy, you're not really going to be able to do much with $10 or less. You could, if you did all the work yourself, install a nice Southwest Wind Power Whisper 500 on a small-ish tower. This produces 3,000 watts of power – maximum. That's a lot for a wind generator...

As a woman, I can relate to your plight. But don't bother 'uglying up.' It won't help. We do lots of trade jobs and it took me years to become accepted by the men who dominate the trades. They're a great bunch of guys, actually - and have become very helpful now that I'm one of the 'guys.'...

I don't know the science of it all, and we don't use ethanol - we're mostly a diesel family (trucks and tractor), but I thought I'd let you know they are trying to allow the increase of ethanol from 10% to 15% this year. If this happens, it may affect what you're talking about.

The DeWalt DW087K Self-Leveling Line Laser (Horizontal & Vertical). This is a great tool. It has too many uses to list. It shoots either a horizontal or vertical laser line (red) after leveling itself instantly. When we installed our outlets, for example, we set the unit up and turned on the...

These are great tools! We have a whole lot of the Makita 18-v tools - including everything in that kit. The charger is very fast, the batteries have held up great, and everything has worked marvelously. The flashlight is very handy - we've used both of ours extensively. Inside of each one is a...

I've been using this for a while now. I like it very well. I especially like that it is 3D. That gives me a better overall idea of what a project will look like when completed. It also allows a great perspective for spacial determinations - such as between buildings, landscaping items, etc. I...

I have a wet dry vac I use exclusively for drywall dust. I half fill the bottom of the holding tank with water and then vacuum. The water will collect most of the dust, but it still plays havoc with the filter after a couple of pounds of dust is cleaned up. A guy I know puts water in his vac and...

Hey ya'll, We are wanting to put in a cellar for our garden surplus this year. We talked about digging a hole in the side of a hill and burying a semi box/container in it. Anybody else have ideas on ways to make a cold cellar? I've read about burying ice chests in the ground...

Yep - screws are best for squeaky wooden floors. My dad always used them when putting in a subfloor. They do work.