MORE STORIES

• Ask Angie

  Reglazing is best way to update kitchen cabinets

  Experts I’ve spoken with don’t recommend painting your cabinets with a traditional paint, just as they don’t recommend painting a car the same way.

• Condo Line

  In the event of neighbor conflicts

  Since the manager and board members are rarely witness to neighborly disturbances, they become a third party. As such, they are limited to enforce or take sides in the dispute and they have no powers to resolve it. Also, there could be a liability exposure if they intervene and someone is injured or property is damaged. You may think that the board and manager are on duty 24 hours a day. If board members serve at will without any compensation, there is no requirement that they be available at odd hours. As to the manager, while compensated, most will not respond after hours except for emergencies.As to your example of a drunk, say he was swinging a knife and making threatening gestures. If you called the board or manager, what could they do? Don’t you think calling police would result in faster action? The board and manager have limited enforcement powers.

• On a budget

  How to redecorate without overspending

  With the housing recovery gaining steam, Americans have more incentives to paint up, touch up and otherwise redecorate their homes. But there’s no need to spend willy-nilly.
• 

  Books

  Garden designs that give back

  Good landscapes aren’t just sustainable, Mary Palmer Dargan insists; they also sustain us. Gardens grow our food, give us shade, calm frazzled nerves and nudge us toward the deep solace that a quiet connection with the natural world can provide. They provide play sites and recreational opportunities for children and families, social venues for adults, and the occasional retreat for those seeking solitude. Properly designed and maintained, they age gracefully and allow us to do the same.
• 

  Hot Property: L.A.

  Jessica Simpson buys Osbourne home

  In a multimillion-dollar twist on celebrity musical chairs, singer-actress Jessica Simpson, 32, has bought Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne’s estate in Hidden Hills for $11.5 million, public records show.

• Furnishings

  Prioritizing the 5 essentials for stylish homes

  Maybe you’ve just bought a new house — congrats, by the way.

• Condo Line

  Heedless board runs the show

  The term Property Owners Association is just another name for HOA. However, if you have condominiums in your association, then the board should comply with condominium statutes. Form a committee and send a certified letter to the board that says it has not been complying with the statutes and your documents. Ask the board to call a members meeting to elect a new board. Explain that if it does not, the committee will engage an attorney and seek legal action as well as report the board to the state. If the board does not respond, ask an association attorney for guidance and action.
• 

  How the right lighting can bring a room to life

  Overwhelmed by choices? Here’s advice on choosing a lamp.

• Washington Report

  Listing shortage fuels new boom

  Selling techniques reminiscent of the housing bubble can be effective, but they come with snares.
• 

  Books

  Letting the earth set the tone

  Imagine the challenges of producing an 18th century historical drama, or a reality TV show that replicates life two centuries ago. Everything on the set has to come almost directly from nature. You’d have clay, wood, fabric, stone, glass, some crude metallurgy and that’s about it. No petroleum-based plastics or paints, no synthetic fabrics, no electronics.
• 

  In the garden

  Pergolas make a stylish shelter

  Pergolas are classic garden structures. They’re easy-going, open-air architectural elements that bring the comforting embrace of an interior room into the garden, and define and distinguish an outdoor space. A pergola is an irresistible destination, an unfailingly nice, lightly shaded place to sit and take the air.
• 

  What’s new

  A blue vintage canning jar

  Canning jars aren’t just for canning anymore.

• Living Smart

  Drying clothes take too long? Check the vent

  Ray Terry estimates he’s personally inspected and repaired more than 4,000 dryer vents over the past 16 years as the owner of The Almetal Dryer Vent Corp. in Charlotte, N.C., and he’s seen one common problem over and over again that helps contribute to more than 15,000 dryer vent fires annually.
• 

  Decorating

  Tips for making a rental space your own

  It’s yours, but it isn’t. A rented apartment or house can be a wonderful place to live, and a challenge to decorate.
• 

  Pantry

  Make room for the walk-in pantry

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• 

  Hot property: L.A.

  Kasems list storied estate for $42 million

  Casey Kasem, who gained a national radio audience after “American Top 40” launched in 1970, and his wife, Jean, are listing their Westside estate for sale at $42 million.
• 

  Art on the table

  Tabletops offer a new canvas for designers

• Washington Report

  Mortgage complaint window open

  Consumers seem to love the online release of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hotline files; the banks not so much.
• 

  Fairchild’s tropical garden column

  Feed your soil, not just your plants

  Building healthy soil is one of the most important things you can do for your garden, especially if you are growing an edible garden. Here in Florida, we are particularly challenged with rocky, sandy soil that is low in nutrients and organic matter. Adding organic matter to your soil will provide a wealth of benefits that will be reaped for years to come.

• Condo Line

  Does felony prevent buying a unit?

  Your first step is to seek legal advice. Many associations have screening committees that review both rentals and new purchases. Some have very strict screening policies. Some will accept new residents if they have only one conviction and several years of clean living. If otherwise or a sexual offender, I have no suggestion as to help as that will remain a black mark. One thing I recommend is not to lie or present false information. Engage a real estate agent to help and have the agent contact the board or screening committee and get their feeling on your conviction. You may want to talk to an attorney to see if you can have your record expunged.

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