Q. The ones I have found so far are either too complicated...I don't need an inch by inch grid, or just too limited in choices. I very much appreciate your respectful, dignified answer to my question AND the valuable site information. Thank you!

A. Am I understand you correctly? You like pictures? Sample Plans? Virtual remodeling sites while impressive - often do little in actually helping a homeowner understand what they want other than leading them to an interior kitchen designer along with passing on wild ideas. Try these simple websites. Kitchen Planing Pictures http://www.brandsconstruction.com/CopperminePhotos/index.php Bathroom Designs http://www.homeplansforfree.com/Free-Bathroom-Floor-Plan-Design-Layout-Pictures/index.php Detailed details sound like they are too much for you - still for happiness when the project is complete - Understanding your goals now really is very important! New Kitchens 101: Free Kitchen Planning Lessons http://www.brandsconstruction.com/Blogb2/blog5.php Wishing you the Best!

Q. I am thinking of buying a shell property in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Philadelphia. I would like to get a contractor to gut the whole thing and make it to my specs. Essentially, I want a garage on the first level; new kitchen, half bath, and LR/DR on second level; and 1-2 bedrooms and full bath on 3rd level. I don't really know much about the home buying process, nor do I have any experience or expertise in gutting a home. However, it seems like a viable option to at least think about...any ideas on costs, timeframe, what I will need to do/have done would be helpful.

A. Reality check time: I have bought and renovated 3 old homes doing about 75% of the work myself and 25% with contractors, though nowhere near to the extent you are talking about and have also been a construction manager for almost 30 years. Yet I would hesitate to undertake what you are talking about. First, there are the financial issues. You won't be able to get a conventional mortgage to do this since there is no existing property value to secure the loan. Do you have at least $100,000 cash or established equity to start this project? Second, you need to be aware of the permitting and zoning requirements for the site you've chosen. Depending on the area you may run afoul of things like historical conservation rules and restrictions on such things as integral garages. Third, you need to be aware of hidden problems with an older structure you are planning to gut like foundation settling, structural integrity, lead paint and asbestos remediation. If it is an urban townhouse with party walls you will have to deal with issues involving the adjacent properties as well as restrictions on noise and working hours for your contractors. Fourth, you will have to register plans with the city building authority which will likely have to be "sealed" by a registered architect or structural engineer. Since you say you know nothing about this process, you will have to hire a builder or architect to design the house to make sure it meets structural and mechanical system codes. Fifth, if you have no experience with hiring and negotiating with contractors, you risk substantial cost over-runs and coordination problems -- overseeing such a major project is an unbelievable headache, a full-time job in fact, even if you know what you are doing. There are countless details of scheduling, assuring materials are there on time and that contractors are working as planned. Are you planning to be on site full time to watch over the work? And, not understanding the process, will you be able to tell if it is being done correctly? Chances are you would have to hire a general contractor or builder to oversee the entire project. Even in a down market like Philly, I would estimate this project would cost you from $250,000 to $300,000 and take 12 to 18 months. More, in fact, in time and money than building an entirely new home from the ground up. It might be possible to get something going through some kind of "urban homesteading" grant program if such is available in your city, but don't expect this to be a cheap or easy process. I'm sorry to sound so negative because I am actually a big proponent of saving and renovating deteriorated urban properties and neighborhoods, but realistically this is only really "viable" if the person undertaking the work has a good bit of experience with construction and renovation OR has bottomless sources of money to pay others to deal with the complex processes and red tape that are involved. If you feel up to it, bless you! But it will be extremely stressful and costly and you need to be prepared. I recommend that you immediately start watching as many of the renovation programs as you can on HGTV and the DIY network. A few good ones are "Holmes on Homes", "Renovation Realities", "Income Property" (though that last one makes it look too easy but at least you get an idea of budgets.) I just heard that there is a program on one of the networks tonight where a team is going to be gutting a foreclosed home -- that might be a good one to see as well.

Q. We want to remodel our kitchen and want to move a low bearing wall 17 inches, apparently we need a struc engineer for that so we are thinking of just not getting a permit. Does anyone know what happens if we get "caught"? A new beam will be put in place to support the new structure and new footing. The house is in Northern CA and is ~45 years old. From the reads of answers it seems there's always the risk of not "following" the rules.

A. As mentioned above usually the fine is 100% of the permit cost -i.e. double. But permits are cheap in relation to building costs. The only reason I would side-step the permit process is that unfriendly and "hard ass" inspectors can be more than a nuisance. They may discover something - anything - that may be subject to new or updated code. And of course you might have to satisfy (do additional work for) him before you get your final. Now that being said...you don't want to play around with load bearing walls. Perhaps you can find an alternative to moving the entire wall. Steel beams are relatively inexpensive and they can 'span' the entire width of most rooms. So if you just want to open the view and create additional access or foot traffic then you can achieve that by replacing the stud wall with a steel beam with support columns on either end. It can be finished like any other wall and perhaps may aid in enhancing the design by giving a little space you can decorate with a little shelf for your stuff. Now. Will the column greatly interfere with your plans? I don't know the layout. But if you don't know what you are doing then be sure to find the right person to help you. Aloha

Q. When people do their own remodeling, such as a kitchen, many will do their own demolition work, then have plans to install new cabinets and appliances. At some time or another, they will run into electrical issues, such as finding live wires that shouldn't be live, or existing outlets/switches being in the wrong place for the new kitchen design. What do most people do in this situation? Do they ever try to fix the problems themselves?

A. I am in South Carolina and it is legal to do electrical work in your own home or on your property. The only exclusion I have found is having electricity hooked up to new service. For new service (a new meter base) a licensed electrician is required. If you are comfortable with the fix AND understand how electricity works then I would go for it. Use a fluke or meter and make sure you know the proper way to use the tool. They come with basic instructions. I find a voltmeter, amp meter and continuity check allows me to check my work before and after the job. If you do not understand how electricity works then get help. I have used a website to ask "experts" electrical answers to specific problems. There is a minor fee for the answer. If you are not satisfied with the answer or the answer is not real then you do not have to pay the person providing the answer. The qualifications and rating of the "experts" are also listed. http://www.justanswer.com/home-improvement/electrical I recently used one of their experts to help guide me on hooking up a portable generator to my house. They also helped me meet the code requirements. Electricity is not really "rocket science" and a good basic book and understanding goes along way. Make sure you check to make sure you also meet the local/state/federal codes. I just happen to have a copy of the codes (big notebook) and my local library keeps a copy up to date. I personally do my own electrical work and have friends that are licensed electricians. They help me with the codes. Use a licensed electrical contractor if you have doubts. Be sure and get work you want done in writing before the work is started.

Q. For a retainer fee of $750, Home Depot Expo will provide me a designer who would work with me on finding items for my home and color blending. When I use their service (installation and products sold in home depot) that equals 5k or more, my $750 will be refunded. Saleslady said the designers are not on commision so they are not going to make a profit on selling me any certain item. Also, installation fees are basically set. Doesn't this sound like a good deal? I need help with finding the right color blend for my living and dining room walls, hardwood floors , new cabinets for the kitchen and new window treatment. Sales lady said they can help me co-ordinate colors and someone would come over to my house for 2 hours next week. What do you think?

A. No its not a good deal and they dont do good work

Q. We just bought a house and would like to install wood floors. It's all one room--living room and kitchen--and it has to be one floor. We're NOT looking for design ideas but answers about buckling wood based on your experience with wood floors and water. We're also NOT interested in mere horror stories that go on without a point. The floor will also be right at some French doors that open onto the backyard. So there'll be alot of weather and water. Please let us know your ideas and solutions, if any. If it's impossible, or if it can work.

A. A wood floor is absolutely gorgeous in the kitchen and it is warm under foot compared to a tile. The wood is easier to stand on for longer periods of time compared to tile. If you drop something on a tile floor it is likely to break compared to wood. I am a home builder that builds homes in the upper end and we almost exclusively install job-finished floors in all of the kitchens that we build! It looks great and is durable. A solid hardwood floor with a three coats of polyurethane is very durable. It will over time show wear in high traffic areas and can be marred by high heels and pet activity. The nice thing about wood is that you can refinish it at a reasonable price and you have a floor that looks new again. You can damp mop it with a solution of white vinegar and water so it is easy to take care of. The wood at the door where water is brought in from outside can be problematic and you should be careful to use area rugs to prevent any water from getting between the door threshold and the edge of the wood. Make sure that this joint is properly caulked with a matching caulk. Unless you have some huge leak from a dishwasher that goes unattended for a long period of time (which has happened) you should have no problem with wood. I have had a home with wood one with porcelain tile in the kitchen. You can't beat the warm look that wood affords although you can get some awesome looking tile patterns that look great as well. If tile and wood is not in your budget, you may want to look at some of the new sheet vinyl floors that are out. They keep improving them and they can also look nice. If I were to build another home I would use wood in our kitchen. For more information on wood floors and other options for your kitchen, go to my website at: http://www.premier-kitchen-design.com/best-hardwood-floors.html I hope that helps. The best of luck to you!! Chris

Q. My system is loud and I think the installer put in too small of registers. Assuming the duct work is sized right... I have paperwork from the planning package I got from the installers and the room is supplied 212 CFM, split into two 10X4 registers, 106 CFM each. My kitchen is 352 CFM total split into two 12X4 registers, 176 CFM each. I seem to recall 10X4 registers max supply flow of roughly 90 CFM but I don't remember where I read/heard that, but that's what got me thinking the current 10X4 are too small for 106 CFM airflow and curious about 12X4 and 12X6.

A. It depends on other things than just the register size. Each register manufacturer has its own design air flows. Also, the duct size affects it too. In general though, the 4x10 would be borederline on airflow and the 4x12 are too small for 176 cfm each.

Q. Our house has central air conditioning, but the garage was converted to a room before we bought it and there is no AC vent there. Our AC is large enough to handle the extra room, as when we bought a new one a few years ago we had already planned to do this and so we bought a bigger one than the existing "under air" space required. Now we have the materials to expand the AC to include the extra room, but we're a little confused. The air handler is in a closet in a hall on one side of the house. The living room has a cathedral ceiling, and on the other side is the room where we want to add an AC vent. There is a long box running through the attic over the living room, and it branches off to bring air to the vents in the bedrooms, kitchen, living room, etc. When we bought our AC and told the installer of our plans, he recommended running a new line straight from the air handler to the new vent. But when hubby discussed this with a man at work who went to school for AC, he said that didn't make sense and it would be better to branch it off like the others; otherwise, the extra room could end up too cold and other rooms too warm. Branching it off makes the most sense to me, not to mention requiring less materials and less crawling around the scary attic space. Anyone in the know have any advice? Thanks!

A. If this "long box" is basically feeding the whole house then you would probably be best to branch off of it. You will then have to rebalance the whole system. Good Luck!