Q. We’re having a flooding problem. The neighbors behind us rebuilt their home and also raised their yard, sloping into ours. more

Q. I’m hoping you can help me with a snow problem. My back door gets used the most, and it has a Trex deck (the plastic boards) . . . more

Q. Before leaving the house on a summer day, I close the blinds (slants up) to deflect the sun, and with it, the summer heat. My husband maintains that it’s useless to do so on the north side of the house . . . more

Q. I read your column about the pile foundations and it made me question what I’m going through. I had an engineer look at the foundation and crawl space slab . . . more

Q. We’re in the middle of a dispute about how our house was repaired and what to do to fix the foundation. more

Q. While renovating our kitchen, the contractor found termites and rot in sills and studs, but no active infestation. He replaced the wall up to solid lathe and studs . . . more

Q. We’re trying to decide whether to put in a whole house generator or, as our electrician friend suggested, just a portable that gives enough power when we need it. more

Q. We’ve been told that we’ll need sprinklers all over our house because we’re doing a major renovation, including lifting half our split level . . . more

Q. We must run a dehumidifier constantly in our basement from about June through October, depending on the humidity and temperature. This necessitates emptying the pail sometimes twice a day. more

Q. What can I avoid in doing my newly purchased home renovation? You often write about what goes wrong . . . more