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" A WELL-LANDSCAPED YARD HAS A LOT in it that doesn&amp;#039;t have to do with land: walkways, fences, arbors, perhaps even fountains. The book Hardscaping is a guide to integrating these features into the landscape. In its 192 pages and six chapters you learn how structures, materials and even furnishings affect the appearance of a landscape and the way people interact with it. The book begins by explaining how to take an inventory of the existing area mapped on grid paper and then how to use line, shape, colors and textures to bring about the effect you want. The book&amp;#039;s extensive use of color photography provides visual and creative guidance along the way. A single book cannot take you through all the details involved in building everything from a driveway to a deck. It can, however, give you the six essentials of integrating steps into the landscape and what the pros and cons of concrete are--to name two examples. The hardcover book costs about $35 at bookstores--well worth the price, given how much it can save you in trial and error.--Roy Berendsohn Curling Asphalt Shingles I would like to know what is causing the edges of the asphalt shingles on my roof to curl upward. LOUIS WISNER LARGO, FL Asphalt shingles are the most common residential roof covering in the United States. They are made by impregnating mats of fiberglass or organic felt with liquid asphalt, then covering the top surface with mineral granules. The granules protect the shingles from the sun&amp;#039;s damaging ultraviolet rays. Several mechanisms act together to cause asphalt shingles to curl. One is the gradual loss of granules from the shingles&amp;#039; surface. This accelerates the damage from ultraviolet rays and the erosion by water. Secondly, the asphalt hardens with age, and the asphalt layers begin to shrink. The shrinkage is constrained by the reinforcing mat, so the shingle edges curl upward in response. This process can be further aggravated by excessive attic heat caused by inadequate attic ventilation. According to the Canadian Asphalt Manufacturing Association, there is also a phenomenon called &amp;quot;winter curling,&amp;quot; in which the front edge of the shingles lifts from the roof deck. The condition occurs during damp winter conditions when frost forms on the top surface of the shingles, causing them to contract. With the underside of the shingles being warmer, the shingles lift or curl up slightly. Septic Tank Cleaning A plumber friend of mine said he knew of one septic system that hadn&amp;#039;t been pumped out in 60 years and was still working okay. My system has been pumped out twice in 24 years and the service man said both times that it could have gone much longer. How often should a tank be pumped out? EDWARD NORWOOD JR. BIRMINGHAM, AL There are several factors that determine pumping frequency for septic tanks: the tank&amp;#039;s size, the number of people living in the house, whether a garbage disposal is used and how often laundry is done. Most health departments recommend that septic tanks be pumped every two to three years or when the total depth of sludge and scum exceeds one-third the liquid depth of the tank. If sludge overflows the tank and enters the leaching field, the system may fail. Digging up and replacing a clogged leaching field costs thousands of dollars, so money spent on pumping the tank is a good investment in preventive maintenance. A safe approach is to have the tank inspected yearly until it is determined that pumping is required. Once the pumping interval is established, you can follow that until there is a change in water use patterns that would require the tank to be pumped more or less frequently. It&amp;#039;s true that many homeowners have never had their septic tank pumped and have not experienced problems. They have been quite lucky so far. However, these systems could fail at any time. A hacksaw is a great tool but it doesn&amp;#039;t fit everywhere you need it. Solution: Grip a hacksaw blade in a pair of locking pliers to get at that hard-to-reach bolt or fitting that you need to saw off. The needle-nose type shown works even better than the standard round-jaw variety because it fits into tight spots more readily.--R.B. Sliding Glass Door What can be done about a sliding glass door that suddenly gets very difficult to roll back? I would appreciate any help you can give me. ANGELO BERTOLINO LADY LAKE, FL The problem is either with the tracks or the rollers. First check the tracks for dirt or grease accumulation. Wipe them clean with a soft cloth moistened with mineral spirits to remove dirt and grease. Also check whether the tracks are adequately secured. A loose track can rise slightly, causing difficulty in sliding the door. If the tracks are clean, spread a little graphite powder along them. Don&amp;#039;t use oil or grease as a lubricant, as these substances trap dirt. If the above measures don&amp;#039;t correct the problem, try raising the door. Sliding glass doors have screws on the bottom of each side of the doorframe. These screws raise or lower the door relative to its rollers. Sometimes raising the door is all that&amp;#039;s needed to make it move properly. If cleaning and adjustment do not restore proper operation, lower the rollers so that the door can be removed from its track. Check the rollers. If they don&amp;#039;t roll freely, look for dirt buildup around their bearings, and check the rollers for flat spots. It may turn out that it is necessary to replace the rollers. Hardware stores and home centers sell replacement parts, as do some glass shops. If you can&amp;#039;t find a local source, try Blaine Window Hardware (800-678-1919 or www.blainewindow.com). Despite its name, the company also sells door hardware. You can even take a digital picture of the door&amp;#039;s hardware and e-mail it to the company at blainehdw@aol.com. If the track is severely worn and the door&amp;#039;s handles and lock are worn-out, you may be better off replacing the door than repairing it. For more on this process, see &amp;quot;Screen Door Reborn,&amp;quot; POPULAR MECHANICS, March 2005, page 104. PUT OUT A CALL FOR APPLIANCE design proposals to students the world over and you&amp;#039;re bound to produce some unusual--and silly--stuff. That was apparent at a display of the eight finalists&amp;#039; entries in the Electrolux Design Lab at the Reuters building in Manhattan&amp;#039;s Times Square. It was one part publicity gambit for its sponsor, appliance maker Electrolux, and one part forward-looking industrial design exercise. The winning entry, from the University of New South Wales, Australia, was a dishwasher called Rockpool. It is to use &amp;quot;supercritical carbon dioxide&amp;quot; rather than detergent and warm water, and it provides not only clean dishes, but offers a &amp;quot;wondrous operating experience.&amp;quot; Call us hopelessly biased, but our favorite is the more straightforward Soho proposal (shown) submitted by the University of Notre Dame. It&amp;#039;s a line of small washers and dryers that stack but also serve as modular furniture. Among the other entries were a ceramic-top table that doubles as a power source for induction-powered appliances, and a refrigerator with a removable rolling beverage cooler. For more information, visit http://designlab.electrolux.com.--R.B. Light Bulb Grease I have several incandescent light bulbs that screw into the sockets with some difficulty. It&amp;#039;s almost like trying to slide two pieces of rough wood against each other. Is there something that could be applied to the bulb&amp;#039;s threads that would enable it to screw easily into the socket? WILLIAM M. RIGGS SR. MIDDLESEX, NJ ITW Performance Polymers has a product that will do the job. It&amp;#039;s called Sure Connect Bulb Grease. It works best on incandescent bulbs, floodlamps, decorative lighting and electrical connections. It can be used indoors and outdoors for household, automotive and marine purposes. The grease prevents bulbs from sticking and breaking, and ensures a positive connection and easy removal from the socket. It&amp;#039;s especially handy for use on bulbs in recessed light fixtures because they are so hard to reach. When applying the grease, put a thin film on the bulb&amp;#039;s threads. Never apply it to the inside of an electric light socket. One source for Sure Connect Bulb Grease is Lowe&amp;#039;s home centers. It costs about $2 for a 1/4-ounce tube. Basement Tub In my basement, there is a toilet and sink installed in a small bathroom. The drains were put in for them when the house was built. I want to enlarge that bathroom and put in a tub. Is it possible? We have municipal water and sewer, and the floor is concrete. CHRISTINE Hagerstown, MD Yes, it is possible to enlarge the bathroom and install a tub, but it will require breaking up a section of the concrete slab to provide access to the drain. It won&amp;#039;t be difficult to supply the tub with water since you already have a sink and toilet in the basement. As with all plumbing fixtures, the main concern is adequate drainage. This requires a properly sized drain vented to the outside. Since you didn&amp;#039;t mention an ejector pump for the bathroom&amp;#039;s wastewater, I assume that the drain lines in the slab are above the municipal sewer line in the street. If you have a pump, the tub&amp;#039;s wastewater should be connected to the pump&amp;#039;s inlet pipe. Most people should have the plumbing connection to the drain and vent pipes (and for that matter the water supply lines) made by a licensed plumber. If the drain and vent lines are not properly connected, there is a possibility that sewer gases could seep into the house. Finally, a major remodeling job requires a building permit. Check with your local building department. You or your contractor will need to get the permit before starting.  Do You Have A Home-Maintenance Or Repair Problem?Just ask Norman about it. Send your questions to Homeowners Clinic, POPULAR MECHANICS, 810 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019. While letters cannot be answered individually, problems of general interest will be discussed in the column. My sons Michael and Joe and I built this great white shark shower at my lake house. We named it K-Bite after my niece, Karen, who loves sharks. It took about a year to build, and was a fun family project. When you walk in, red and green lights come on and speakers in the tail play the &amp;quot;Jaws&amp;quot; theme, followed by Bob Marley tunes. It&amp;#039;s fun to see people&amp;#039;s feet poking out of the shark&amp;#039;s mouth as they dance to the music in the shower. The shower is about 15 ft. long, 36 in. wide at the bather&amp;#039;s waist to shoulder area, and weighs about 550 pounds. Constructing the frame--from 500 ft. of steel and wire mesh--was the hardest part of the project because I had to teach myself how to weld. I made the teeth out of steel and welded them to the frame (the ends are sanded to avoid hurting people&amp;#039;s ankles). I sprayed the frame with 30 pounds of polyurethane foam to fill in the mesh and then sanded the foam to give the shark shape and details such as ribs. I covered the shark with 400 ft. of fiberglass cloth and 17 gal. of resin to waterproof it. To make the shower durable, it was sprayed with 8 gal. of truck bed liner. When people stop to find out whether the shark is real, I tell them I caught it off my dock. JOHN PARKER FAYETTEVILLE, GA Walk Or Ride If your trusty mower has finally worn out, you&amp;#039;ve got plenty of walk-behind and riding equipment to choose from. Today&amp;#039;s grasscutters have bigger engines and more durable decks, and are easier to start than their predecessors. --R.B. 1--Craftsman 37658 Features: Front-wheel drive and tall rear wheels make this 80-pound mower easy to pivot. Press on its handle and lift the drivewheels clear as you turn about. Also, its 6.75-hp engine should be easy to start. That&amp;#039;s due to an engine designed to receive just the right amount of fuel for optimum cold starting. The typical primer bulb has been eliminated. Price: $349 at Sears and www.craftsman.com 2--Lawn-Boy Z350 HLX Features: A 16-hp Honda engine powers this 44-in. zero-turn mower. The machine zips over the landscape and turns on a dime, thanks to two wraparound levers that control a hydrostatic transmission at each rear-drive wheel. Price: $3800 at Lawn-Boy dealers 3--Honda HRX217HMA Features: The Honda is equipped with electric start and a hydrostatic transmission. And, like the Toro below, it has a clutch to stop the mower&amp;#039;s 21-in. blade without stopping the 6.5-hp engine. Price: $854 at The Home Depot and Honda dealers 4--Toro 20056 Features: Simply push the 89-pound mower&amp;#039;s handlebar to control its rear-wheel-drive system. Top speed: 4 mph. A blade-override switch stops the blade but permits the 6.75-hp engine to power the drive system. Price: $570 at Toro dealers 5--Gravely@Home MZ1540 Features: Two hydrostatic transmissions and a 15-hp Kohler engine power this residential mower. The foot-operated deck lift lets you raise the deck without stopping to use a hand lever. Price: $2800 at Gravely dealers "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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