Back in the not-so-Jolly Old England of the Middle Ages, where many American building traditions originated, no one knew anything about structural engineering. Instead, carpenters used common knowledge gleaned from trial and error and handed down over the centuries. With no way to analyze the strength of their buildings, they just built them as...

Q: My husband and I live in a house that I own on my own. I paid $500,000 for the house in 2005.

I took out a 100 percent loan with a 5-year fixed-rate first mortgage for $400,000 and an adjustable $100,000 home equity line of credit as the second loan. After about a year we refinanced the house...

Q: We are trying to replace a plain, solid-wood, paint-grade, 8-foot outside door on a home we are trying to sell. The old hinges are different from what's common today. I am not sure if this could be changed or not. Do you know what we should do? --Jim E.

A: Your best bet would be to have a door company make you up a new door to fit....

Q: We rent a single-family home that's adjacent to a municipal golf course. Unfortunately, along with the views we get a daily barrage of golf balls. They fall in our yard, have dented our car and broken two windows, and I'm afraid to use the pool before sundown. Since we moved in six months ago, I've collected more than 100 balls. I want to break the lease and move, and I'm...