Totally agree about composite decking—it's been a lifesaver for us too. One thing I'd add is to budget a bit extra for quality fasteners and hardware....

I've had a slightly different experience with annual servicing. My HVAC is pushing 22 years now (fingers crossed!), and I think regular check-ups have...

We had something similar happen when we bought our historic home. The porch looked charming and sturdy, but one rainy day I noticed water pooling oddl...

Had something similar happen when we restored our old windows. Inspector initially said no because they weren't "energy efficient" enough. Invited him...

Yeah, learned that lesson myself when we moved into our historic home. Love the charm and character, but man, the walls are paper-thin when it comes t...

That's a good point about rearranging furniture and airflow. When we moved into our historic home, the basement was always damp and musty. I initially...

Your setup sounds great—I did something similar a couple summers ago and it's held up surprisingly well. I used outdoor curtains too, but instead of r...