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We have one of those super narrow driveways where you hit the curb everytime you pull in or back out, so we are going to have the driveway entrance widened, and while we're at it we're going to make a portion of the driveway (closer to the garage) a two car driveway.

I remember seeing a documentary where they talked about Oregon using permeable/porous materials for driveways, sidewalks, etc to help reduce the amount of water that goes to the storm drains which also helps to prevent flooding, so we were thinking about using similar materials.

Has anyone done this, or know of companies that will do this for a residence?

Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Hello,

We have a craftsman style house in the heights. At some point, someone enclosed the back porch with a low roof. Eventually (3-5 yrs down the road) we plan to turn that enclosed porch into a master bath and walk-in closet.

In the meantime, we are about to have our roof done. While we are up there, we thought now would be a good time to have the roof raised over that back porch in preparation for the future remodeling.

We had two roofers say they could do it, but they would need drawings to go-by. One roofer recommended that we consult with an architect. Another suggested that we don't need an architect, but just someone in "planning and design".

What is your opinion? Should we go with an architect or with someone who does planning and design? What are the pros and cons of each?

Also, do you have any recommendations for either?

Thanks so much!!

I ate at Decapo's once. It was not the price but the really bad sandwich which keeps me away.

I'm surprised to hear two posts for Dacapo's. We live near by (walking distance) and go there about once a week. I've never had a bad meal or bad service.

Give them another try, their soups are amazing, as are their salads and sandwiches.

Thank you all, I appreciate your comments and it gives me alot to think about!

what range of quotes have you recieved?

We haven't gotten that far yet. So far we're just in thinking about it mode.

We're going to have to get a new roof in the near future, and we were thinking about a metal roof. Any thoughts or insights?

Thanks!

Where was the location of the Heights City Haqll/

My husband and I got married in the Heights Historic Fire Station... we were told by the people we rented it out from that it originally was just the city hall + justice center + jail, but after two fires, they decided to add a firestation to it as well!

You can't make them more energy efficient, but you can definitely make them airtight which is 75% of the battle. A typical old double-hung window allows as much airflow as a fist-sized hole in the middle of the window.

Look up a bunch of articles like this and you'll find something you can manage yourself. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1120083,00.html

Great thanks!

Hello, we've recently purchased a 1920's bungalow in the Heights. We had a few items that the house inspector found that we would like to repair, wood rot in some areas of the siding, improper flashing on roof vents, the vent on the water heater not being attached properly, installation of purlins, etc.

Does anyone have any recommendations for someone who would do a good job on these types of items?

Thanks!!

you can get some of those magnetic panes that go on the inside kind of like this or storm windows on the outside.

Hm... those are pretty interesting. I've seen some houses with the outside storm windows when we were looking to buy, and I didn't really like the way they looked from the outside...

Thanks for the ideas!

My suggestion would be to make a set of removable wood frame storm windows. You could base the design on a traditional wood frame window screen, but use glass/plexiglass instead of screen cloth. The wood frames can be easily made with a table saw, or even a circular saw. If you're feeling really ambitious, you could even incorporate a traditional decorative design. This would help make the storm windows look appropriate on your old house.

Please, whatever you do, don't replace the historic windows!!!

Don't worry, we don't want to replace the windows! haha, just make them more energy efficient. Thanks for the idea!

I've been lurking on this site for quite some time now, but this is my first post.

We are in the process of buying our first house, a bungalow in the heights. It has beautiful wooden double-hung windows that are, of course, painted shut.

I found an earlier post which explained how to restore the windows to working condition, but I was wondering if there is anything that you can do to make them more energy efficient? My understanding is that working double-hung windows typically have gaps that allow lots of heat/airconditioning to escape the house when the windows are closed.

Thanks!