It was while I was in the middle of framing and insulating my basement that I first found the mysterious leak in my basement. One sunny day I was happily putting up steel framing and when I returned the next rainy day I found a pie-plate sized puddle forming right where the basement foundation and cinder block walls met.

My basement has always been bone dry until I found this leak, which suddenly had me wondering if I should even bother to refinish …

Repairing a shower valve is one of those home repairs that most homeowners find they need to do every few years, depending on a number of factors including how many people use the shower, your faucet brand and even what type of water you have in your home. Whether you have a single handle “cartridge” type of faucet or a two handle “valve and washer” type of faucet in your shower, the repair for each type is actually pretty similar. …

Like a lot of people right now, I have a live (but cut) Christmas tree in my living room right now. It’s decorated and covered with lights and I have a nice little tree skirt and the whole things looks green and great for the moment, though I know that if I don’t water it for a day or two then I’ll quickly have a pile of brown needles around the base and the tree will start looking a little less green and little more like something from a Charlie Brown special….

Over the past couple years I’ve removed and replaced every shower knob and bathroom and kitchen faucet in my 50 year old home. I’m not a plumber but I’ve watched and learned from some professional plumbers and I’ve done just enough basic plumbing work around my house that I’m beginning to get a feel for some of tricks of the trade.

Here’s a shower wrench seated on a shower valve that’s sunk …