Exteriors

House Doctor: Top 10 Things Homeowners Should Know

A few years ago, while working on a story about finding an old-fashioned handyman, one such fellow told me of a specific task he did for a couple each spring. Both husband and wife were so mechanically challenged that they'd hire him to change their light bulbs.

House Doctor: For an electrifying Christmas

When it comes to holiday lighting, who's better than Kathy Presciano?

House Doctor: Closing the pool won't drain your wallet

A few years ago, someone in our family - the guilty party has yet to come forward - misplaced the telephone number of the pool guy.

House Doctor: Chasing away mourning doves

Mourning doves have taken shelter behind my front-door shrubs. I have tried chasing them away with irritants, such as pepper, bleach and insect sprays. Is there anything I can do? R.M., Hicksville

House Doctor: Air-conditioning condensation can be a stain pain

My home has central air-conditioning. Because of a condensation problem with the air-conditioning unit, I am getting rust stains on the cement on one side of the house. What can I do to remove the rust stains?

HOME WORK

House Doctor: How best to cover a concrete driveway

My concrete driveway is about 20 years old and is showing signs of age. It has the usual stains and rust spots and some minor scaling. I am thinking of having a layer of blacktop put over the concrete. Do you have any thoughts? -- Jack S., Wantagh

Gary Dymski: Underground news: beware life span of oil tanks

What would you do if your underground oil tank sprang a leak? One response is certain - dig into your pockets.

House Doctor: A solution for removing white stains on bricks

The aluminum trim around my windows has stained the brick facing on my house. Over the years, water has washed over the aluminum, and the result has been this white, oxidizing stain on the brick. I've tried power washing, detergents and paint remover, but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? -- Herb F., Bethpage

House Doctor: Fooled by faux

When passersby look at the new roof on the recent addition Mark and Carolyn Lamarr put on their center hall Colonial, it doesn't seem any different from the others in their Garden City community of slate-roofed homes that are more than three quarters of a century old.

House Doctor: Understand the underside of crawl space moisture

Q. I live in a split-level home on the South Shore. The front entrance door is on a slab, and the first floor has a living room, dining room and kitchen over a crawl space. My problem is the foyer inside the front entrance. The floor is ceramic tile, and the den to the right has a carpeted floor. To the left of the ceramic floor is an office with a vinyl floor. The tile floor collects large amounts of condensation during humid weather. It has actually puddled in areas, even when there is cross ventilation from the open front and rear sliding door in the kitchen. There is a dehumidifier in the crawl space and ceiling fans in the office and living room.

House Doctor: Colorful siding gets green light

When Lisa Smith told her friends what she was planning, they responded with bewildered looks. "They didn't say anything," she says, "and you could tell they were wondering if I were crazy or something."

House Doctor: The Smart Vapor Barrier

The next time you plan to remodel or build, you might ask your contractor what he uses as a vapor barrier.

House Doctor: Mending Fences and Siding

Three of my athletically gifted children see any exterior wall or fence as an invitation to hurl a baseball or strike a soccer ball. And so, parts of our house serve as backstops for balls, pucks and other projectiles. The result is cracked and dented vinyl siding and a chain- link fence with more curve to it than a World War II pinup.

House Doctor: Matching Existing Vinyl Siding

Q. About five years ago we had vertical vinyl siding installed on the upper exterior of our house. There is cedar siding below it, and we now would like to cover it with the same vinyl siding. The problem is we can't find it. The vertical vinyl siding is white and looks exactly like tongue-and-groove cedar. Do you know if this type of siding still exists? -George Niosi, Medford

House Doctor: Keeping Mildew off Siding

Q. We've had aluminum siding on our house for about 30 years. A few years or so ago, on the north side, green mildew appeared on the siding. We washed it off with a solution specifically made to clean aluminum siding, and it did an excellent job. Now, we must do it again.

Gary Dymski: Foam Is Where the Art Is

Until recently, my only experience with architectural millwork had been with crown moldings. But after installing a ceiling medallion and a wall niche made from polyurethane foam, I'm hooked.

House Doctor: Winterizing The House

Once we had a roof leak. It happened in the dead of winter, with several inches of snow blanketing our shingles. What a mess.

House Doctor: The Red Carpet

When Dan Gordon made remodeling plans for his Roslyn Harbor home, he was thinking more about adding a workout room than creating a new driveway.

House Doctor: Some Concrete Solutions

Q. I have a 2-year-old home and have noticed several cracks in the concrete floor of the basement. What causes these cracks, and what can be done to correct them? -R.M., East Patchogue

House Doctor: Contractors Are Waterlogged, Too

A cold, snowy winter followed by a waterlogged spring means one thing for people who make a living working outdoors: Projects are being delayed by weather.

House Doctor: Old Asbestos Shingles

Q. WE ARE IN the process of getting estimates for putting new vinyl siding on our house. It now has aluminum siding on the front and is covered with asbestos shingles on the sides and back. The aluminum siding needs to be removed before installing new vinyl siding, but we are confused as to whether we should remove the asbestos shingles before putting on new siding.

House Doctor: Worn Asbestos Shingles

Q. As a senior citizen with a limited income, I cannot afford to have my asbestos shingles removed or covered with vinyl siding. Can they be sealed or is there another answer? They are very old and dirty.

House Doctor: Replacing Cedar Shingles With Vinyl Siding

Q. We are considering putting vinyl siding on our home. Do we remove the cedar shingles before installing the vinyl siding or do we cover them?

House Doctor: Leaky Sliding Door

Q. I live on the ground floor of a two-story condominium and there is a sliding-glass door on a part of the living-room wall. The door leads to a patio, which is beneath an upper balcony. The floor of this upper balcony permits some rain to come through the sliding glass door portion of the wall. I have lived here for 13 years, and this is my first problem.

House Doctor: Tips for Good Caulking

ONE SQUEEZE OF the trigger can put the finishing touch on a project or create a huge mess. Anyone who has loaded a caulk gun is aware of the slim margin of error between a bull's eye -- a smooth bead -- and a blank: a sticky glob.

House Doctor: Stucco Exteriors

Q. I will be moving into a new home soon that needs to have the exterior updated. It currently has the original 40-year-old wood shingles. I would like to do a stucco process on the front, which I am seeing on more and more homes, and vinyl siding on the sides and rear. The house also needs to have all of the windows replaced. Some people are pushing me off this, saying stucco dents and discolors, and if repairs have to be made, it is difficult to match the original finish. I do like the architectural advantages to the material. What do you think? -Andrew Harwin, North Woodmere

House Doctor: Exterior Painting

THERE'S NO WAY the exterior of your house can make it through another season without a new coat of paint.

House Doctor: Blocks Help Beautify Your Lighting

DUCT TAPE likely can be found in every do-it-yourselfer's toolbox. That thick, gray elastic tape has been used to repair everything from appliances to windows.