Loose roof shingles that don't seal well can cause roof leaks to occur. Get tips on the best way to repair loose roof shingles once and for all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How-to tips on using trees as sound barriers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get tips on cleaning soap buildup on your stainless steel dishwasher door. Using a slightly abrasive cleaning agent on a damp cloth can eliminate soap buildup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! Home sweet home doesn't have to be a bottomless money pit, and we are here every week to take your calls and offer expert advice. This week, we’re getting festive with last-minute Halloween treats and tackling your scariest home improvement dilemmas! Topics this week include: - Last-Minute DIY Halloween Decor: If Halloween snuck up on you, there is still time to haunt your house with easy decor ideas like using cheesecloth or gauze draped over balloons to create floating ghosts, cutting black trash bags into spiderwebs, or creating spooky silhouettes from paper and cardboard. - Budget-Friendly Yard Frights: We share quick and clever DIY lighting effects to transform your yard into a haunted masterpiece, including using toilet paper rolls with cellophane and LED lights tucked into bushes to create glowing eyes, or setting up a glowing, smoky cauldron with a fog machine or dry ice. - The Best Way to Store Decorations: Once the spooky season is over, you should sort and label indoor decor, wrap string lights around cardboard to prevent tangles, and ensure all outdoor items (like inflatables and lights) are completely dry before boxing them up to prevent mold and damage. - Fall Home Maintenance Wins: Leslie’s Last Word offers easy projects to ready your home for winter, including draining off sediment from your tank-style water heater and swapping out the furnace filter to ensure warmer air and lower heating bills.   Q & A: - John in Texas was questioning whether to install a metal roof over just 1x3 wood lath strips or over solid plywood sheathing on his new small home. Our recommendation is to use solid decking because it provides greater structural strength, reduces the loud noise caused by rain, and allows for better insulation. - Janet was looking for the best way to insulate a side entrance floor, debating whether to insulate from underneath or pull up the linoleum and plywood from the top. If she has access to the crawlspace, we advise inserting insulation between the joists from underneath, but note that the ceiling/attic should be insulated first. - Lauren asked if her neglected, ivy-damaged cedar siding was worth salvaging and what type of contractor to hire for the job. Our advice is to restore the siding by hiring a good painter to prep the surface and caulk seams, using a solid color stain for durability, and potentially hiring a carpenter to replace severely damaged boards. - Bosley emailed to say he wanted to remove a large bathroom mirror glued to the wall without breaking it and needed safety advice. The solution requires wearing protective gear and using a thin, strong wire, like piano wire or a guitar string, to carefully saw back and forth behind the mirror and cut through the adhesive.   ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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If you are doing a bathroom remodel and want to tile the shower, learn what you need to know to keep the area leak free and draining correctly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHOW NOTES: Welcome to The Money Pit! You can make your outdoor space your favorite place, and we can help. Whether you’re tackling projects inside or outside, we are on your side, and we’re discussing some awesome autumn topics today and answering DIY questions from callers like you! - Smarter Fall Leaf Cleanup: We share a better, faster, and more eco-friendly way to clean up the yard this fall. You'll learn why not raking every leaf is the best thing you can do for your lawn and the planet. - Preparing the Garden for Winter: Fall is the time to prep your flower beds and vegetable gardens to ensure a vibrant, healthy, bountiful spring. This includes clearing out old or diseased plants, enriching the soil with organic matter, and giving perennials a necessary trim. - Tool Tune-up and Winterization: Before you stash that mower and hang up the rake, we walk you through a simple tool tune-up that will save you time, money, and headaches next season. Q & A: - Mark was seeking options for adding an attractive and affordable solar boiler kit to his current water heater system. We explain that solar water heaters are cost-effective in any climate because their fuel is free sunshine, and he should consult the Energy Saver website for resources on active or passive systems. - Laura in Illinois needs to paint a ceiling covered in oil-based paint, but lives in Illinois, where oil-based paints are restricted. We recommend thoroughly cleaning the ceiling and then using a quality water-cleanup primer (latex or alkyd-based) before applying a low-gloss topcoat like eggshell. - Living in a rural area, Sherry asked for advice on choosing a burglar alarm or security system. We share that the first step is ensuring she has a solid internet connection, preferably with a cell phone dialer backup, and then choosing a system that provides 24/7 monitoring by an actual person. - Lee’s puppy chewed triangular corners off four pieces of his cement board siding. We suggest using a two-part epoxy putty product called Wood Epox to reform and shape the corners, which can then be sanded and painted once cured. - David was shopping for a power washer and wanted to know the ideal PSI. We recommend that he look at the gallons per minute and motor type (gas vs. electric), noting that an electric model around 1,800 PSI is generally great for standard house cleaning.   ASK A QUESTION: Need help with your own home improvement or décor question? We’d love to help! Call the show 24/7 at 888-MONEY-PIT (888-666-3974) or post your question here: https://www.moneypit.com/ask. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Find out how to fix a blocked washing machine pipe. Get tips on opening up the pipes near the T and snaking the line from there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices