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Water at a bathroom fan does not automatically mean the roof is leaking. In cold weather, condensation inside the exhaust duct can be the culprit.

Those TEST and RESET buttons are there for a reason. Here’s what a GFCI does, where you commonly see one and why a failed test deserves attention.

A bathroom exhaust fan does much more than clear a foggy mirror. Proper ventilation helps manage moisture and protect the room around it.

Quartz, quartzite and granite can all make beautiful countertops, but they are very different materials. Here’s what homeowners should know before choosing one.

When water shows up in a basement, the problem may begin outside. Grading, gutters and downspouts are often the first places worth looking.

LVP and LVT have become common in kitchens, basements and busy homes. Here’s why—and what to look at before assuming every vinyl floor is the same.

A frost-free exterior faucet can still freeze if a hose prevents it from draining. One simple fall chore can prevent a surprisingly expensive problem.

Kitchen lighting is one of those things homeowners notice most when it is wrong. Too dark and you are chopping onions in your own shadow. Too bright and the room starts to feel like somebody should be asking you to say ahhh. Start With Layers A good kitchen usually needs more than one kind of light. Ambient lighting handles the general room, task lighting helps you actually see what you are doing, and accent lighting adds depth and highlights the parts of the kitchen worth lo

Small bathrooms have a special talent for making perfectly normal people perform sideways gymnastics around towel bars, cabinet doors and each other. The good news is that a small footprint does not have to mean a frustrating bathroom. Use the Walls When floor space is limited, go vertical. Shallow floating shelves, wall-mounted cabinets and a well-planned medicine cabinet can add storage without making the room feel crowded. The key word is shallow: storage should help, not

Ceiling fans aren't just for summer, and they aren't only there to drown out a snoring spouse who sounds like a walrus with a head cold. Used correctly, they can make a room feel more comfortable in both heating and cooling seasons. Summer: Create a Breeze In warm weather, you generally want the fan blowing air downward so you can feel the breeze. Standing beneath the fan and looking up, that commonly means counterclockwise rotation. The moving air creates a wind-chill effect

Spring has a way of exposing everything winter did to your house while you were busy pretending not to notice. A little time walking around the house now can catch small problems before they become expensive ones. Start at the Top Take a look at the chimney, roof and gutters. Check the chimney cap, masonry joints and siding or trim around the chimney. From the ground, look for shingles that are cracked, buckled, loose or missing. Central Ohio wind is remarkably good at rearra

If you've stepped outside this week, you've probably noticed it's hot. Not “grab another glass of lemonade” hot. More like “I walked to the mailbox and now I need a shower” hot. Homeowners remember all kinds of maintenance—lawns, cars, dogs, even houseplants—but the air conditioner often gets ignored until it quits. And on the hottest days of summer, that can get expensive fast. Your Outdoor Unit Needs to Breathe The outdoor condenser has thin aluminum fins designed to releas

After finishing a top-to-bottom remodel of our own house, winter provided a useful reminder that the things nobody photographs can matter just as much as the things everybody photographs. Our whole-house humidifier wasn't doing its job. Humidity Matters to the House, Too Very dry indoor air can be uncomfortable for people and pets, and seasonal moisture changes can also show up in wood floors, trim and other materials. A whole-house humidifier works with the home's heating sy

Buying a furnace filter shouldn't feel like taking the SAT, but the wall of MERV ratings at the hardware store can make it seem that way. The important thing to know is that a higher number isn't automatically better for your house. What a MERV Rating Actually Means MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. Higher-rated filters can capture smaller airborne particles, but they also tend to make it harder for air to move through the filter. Your heating and cooling sy