Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A crack in a white plaster wall A crack in a plaster wall can look intimidating, and even be a cause for concern. While the sudden ...

Dear James: I have an old house with plaster walls and many cracks that need to be repaired. How can I fix these so they stay fixed and are invisible? — Julianne T. Dear Julianne: Many older houses ...

Plaster, a decorative wall coating of lime, sand, and sometimes fibers, has been around since the beginning of time—and so has plaster repair. Although subject to cracks and bubbles, it's a durable ...

Read Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this story. When it comes to real estate in a city like ours, with housing that spans the space of a few hundred years, there are two types of people in the world: ...

Q. We're buying a house that is probably close to 100 years old. It has been vacant for the past several years and needs a good amount of cleaning up and fixing up. One thing we're concerned about is ...

It is a living, breathing, vindictive building material. Owners of older homes know what I'm talking about. Your house is clean. For once, no urgent household repairs cry for attention. No toilets are ...