Peter Hotton

Q. I need to replace my roof, resecure stones in my foundation (hole is approximately 1-foot wide), replace leaking gutters and repaint house. I need others to do the work. Which job should be done first and in what order should they be done?

Q: I have a screened porch that has a funny ceiling: exposed rafters that are level for 12 inches at the eaves and then rising until they meet a steeper roof. What can I use to cover the rafters? I would like to use grooved unfinished 4-by-8 plywood paneling. Would that work? How can I paint it?

Q. I’ve been looking at houses for quite a while now and finally decided that building is our best option. What is your opinion on stick-built vs. Modular?

Q. How do I get rid of mice in my house? In your opinion, is it best to call experts?

Q: Lucky me. I won a hot tub in a raffle. I have to build a deck off the back of my house for it. Contractors told me that only they can do that and a homeowner cannot. My friend did it without consequences that I know of. What do you think?

Q: Someone graffitied the boulder at the end of our driveway. We tried paint thinner, but it didn’t work. What can we try? Can we put some kind of a sealer on the rock so that if it happens again, the paint will be easier to remove?

Q. My mother owns a very nice house in Miami with has a life-size Italian white marble statue of a woman and Cupid sitting in the middle of a small fish pond, also made of marble, and dating from 1900.

Q. When we did our house over, we installed fiberglass doors in front and back. They look great, with a rather neutral finish. Is that their final finish, or can they be painted or stained? Also, I have the old-fashioned white mosaic floor tiles.

Q: What's the best way to get rid of a water stain line on a popcorn ceiling?

Q: I have had wall-to-wall carpeting for eight or nine years. Now, the carpeting is wrinkling. I have had it stretched and re-laid a few times, but the wrinkles continue to come back. What's wrong?