One of those nagging issues I keep running into while remodeling my kitchen is whether or not I want to add some light under the
kitchen cabinets. Under-cabinet lighting can look great, and it can make food prep a little easier in a dark kitchen, but I still haven't decided if I'd use them enough to justify the cost.

While pondering the matter, I stumbled across a helpful video from Lowe's, How to Install Lighting Under Your Kitchen Cabinets. In a quick four and one-half minutes, Mike Kraft explains some of the types of under-counter lighting that are available. He also demonstrates the installation of a pretty simple set-up, with tips on how to route and hide the wires.

Mike didn't help me decide whether or not I want the extra lighting, but he did remind me of just how easy it can be to install some.

Photo courtesy flickr/Creative Commons

For many years now, one of the guiding principles of kitchen design has been to "tear down the walls" and create open spaces. The motive behind this trend is the need we allegedly possess to increase the perceived size of our kitchens while simultaneously allowing greater visibility and mobility.

I'll grant you that those wide-open kitchens look great in the stylized photos that appear in home magazines. I've confronted the issue in my last two houses, both of which were in dire need of kitchen remodels. Both times, however, I've decided to leave the walls in place. Why? Here's why:

Kitchens need storage--lots of storage--and every time you tear down a kitchen wall you loose cabinets and shelves, and often countertops as well. Now sometimes it is possible to create some new storage space, but more often this just isn't an option.

Also, serious cooks (of which I count myself as one) often want some enclosure and privacy while preparing a meal. Open kitchens can distract and disrupt. So, before you let some kitchen designer convince you that you should take down the walls, make sure you consider what you will be loosing in the process. What are those endangered walls giving you right now in terms of storage and isolation? Do you really want to give that up?

• Sources for RTA Kitchen Cabinets

President is spending the week in China, and finances, human rights and military matters are among the top subjects that will be discussed. But the administration confirmed last week that the issue of tainted Chinese drywall will also be on the agenda.

Drywall that was imported from China is being blamed for causing hundreds of cases of contaminated air in homes built in recent years, primarily in Florida. Corroded copper pipes and respiratory ailments have been some of the problems alleged to result from the drywall.

Many lawsuits have been filed by homeowners, and the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission is expected to release findings later this month on potential fire-safety and electrical problems related to the drywall. Florida Senator Bill Nelson has been pressuring the White House to discuss the matter on the president's visit to China. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, a National Security Council spokesman confirmed late last week that discussions would take place, though it's not clear at what level.

• How To Install Drywall Like a Pro

One problem with smoke alarms is that they can generate false alarms in places like garages, where smoke can be a by-product of normal, day-to-day activity. And smoke alarms that are prone to excessive false alarms often are disabled, which can cut the noise level in the house, but at the expense of fire protection.

In such situations, it may be best to avoid a smoke alarm altogether, and instead install a heat alarm. Heat alarms are not bothered by smoke; rather, they are activated when the temperature rises above 130 degrees F.

Heat alarms are not as widely available as other types of fire protection alarms, but you can find them online, generally for about $25 each. Some currently available choices are Kidde model HD135F, USI Electric model 2430 and BRK Electronics model HD6135F. All are hard-wired alarms with battery backups. Heat alarms are best thought of as additions to, not substitutes for, more traditional smoke alarms. For more information on alarms, see Shopping for a Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector.

Photo © Kidde

I was talking with a New England friend the other day. He's running out of room in his house (kids will do that to you) and thought it was time to get serious about creating some secure storage in the basement. Problem is, his basement is damp much of the year, and moisture is not a friend to stored items (unless they like to swim).

He was considering applying a masonry paint (such as Drylock) to the concrete block walls in his basement. Since his walls are a little wet at the moment, I suggested he hold off. Drylock can be an effective waterproofer, but it really needs to be applied when the walls are dry. And the walls need to be prepared thoroughly, as directed by the manufacturer.

Drylock and other such products are not recommended for sealing serious leaks. But if your basement dampness is due to modest amounts of water vapor seeping through the porous concrete, a waterproofing coating can make a difference. To find out how your moisture might be getting into your basement, take a look at 8 Common Sources of a Wet Basement.

I've written before about how easy it is for someone to break into your house using a garage door remote (see 5 Reasons to Replace Your Garage Door Opener). Older models of garage door openers were notoriously insecure, as burglars with a little patience could find a way to open the door without having to get ahold of the remote.

Newer openers do not have that problem, as the code that triggers the remote can no longer be so easily duplicated. But that still leaves the garage door vulnerable to anyone who gets ahold of your remote control. Your doors and windows can be closed and locked up, but all it takes to get inside your garage is to grab the remote out of a car sitting outside.

Even if your car is sitting in a parking lot somewhere far from home, someone could quickly break into the car, grab the remote, check the address on your registration and then head straight over to your house.

Officials in cities where crimes like this have occurred suggest two precautions. First, keep your remote out of sight (in the glove compartment, for example). Second, don't leave anything with your home address on it in the car. That would mean, for example, carrying your registration in your purse or wallet.

Both ideas make some sense, but one problem with the second one is that you could find yourself driving the car while the registration and/or insurance card is in your spouses purse. That could make for a difficult conversation with a traffic cop should you be stopped.

My suggestion is to keep the remote out of sight and keep the car doors locked at all times. You might also consider keeping registration and insurance cards in your trunk or some other location within the car where they would be hard for someone else to quickly find them.

My favorite gifts are tools. Buy me a nice new router bit for Valentine's Day, for example, and you'll have bought my heart for the rest of the year. Buy me chocolates, and the effect fades much quicker.

By "tools," though, I mean those used in the kitchen as well as those in the garage or basement workshop. Good tools make our lives and jobs easier, and the best ones last a long time. My kitchen-loving kids always know they will get something good, and likely something they hadn't thought about, when they say they'd like a new cooking or food prep tool.

I've prepared a list of great gift ideas for the workshop that falls into that category. The kinds of things that don't often show up on wish lists, but that are nonetheless gratefully received and regularly used. Let me know if you find any useful ideas on the list.

The U.S. Fire Administration reports that there were 403,000 residential fires in 2008, resulting in 2,780 deaths and 13,560 injuries. The direct cost of those fires was $8.55 million.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms, and most of them occur during the winter. Smoking is the main cause of fire deaths, while cooking is the leading cause of fires and fire injuries.

I can't find statistics on how many fires begin in garages, but I know that a lot of them do. Garages typically contain a lot of combustible materials, and they are frequently used for tasks that require some type of incendiary device. Often, when a fire starts in the garage, it can develop into a major fire before anyone even knows about it.

That's why it's so important to stick a smoke alarm in the garage, preferably an interconnected alarm. That way, if a fire starts in the garage at night, alarms near sleeping areas will be triggered.

There's a good chance that you don't have a smoke alarm in your garage, because it is often not required. And some sources discourage them because false alarms from the garage can be a nuisance. You can reduce that problem by avoiding carbon monoxide detectors in the garage. For more information, see Shopping for a Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector.

Here's a story that makes me feel like I haven't even begun to tap my garage's potential. The Wall Street Journal has a story about a fellow named Anthony Toth, who really likes airplanes. He likes them so much, in fact, that he's constructed a replica of a first-class Pan Am 747 cabin in his garage.

Toth, who works for United Airlines, has spent more than 20 years and about $50,000 on his project, where friends and airline enthusiasts now gather from time to time to watch movies and sip cocktails.

Pan Am, which declared bankruptcy in 1991, was the first American airline to fly internationally and the first to fly Boeing 747 jumbo jets. Toth began collecting Pan Am items in the 1970s, while he was just a kid. He built his first replica of a cabin when he was 12. When he bought his first home a few years ago, he made sure that it had a garage large enough to contain his airplane cabin configuration.

The garage/cabin is not open to the public, but Toth hopes someday to turn his collection and creation into a museum. Fortunately, he lives in a condo, so he probably doesn't have to worry about where to store the mower.

I'm a little late to this offer, but there's still time to enter the Unveil Your Garage sweepstakes sponsored by Gladiator GarageWorks. The marketing pitch to the sweepstakes revolves around appealing to homeowners at various stages in their lives making the best use of their garages.

Three levels of prizes are awarded: Weekly, Life Phase and Grand. The later includes $2,000 in Gladiator merchandise and a phone consultation from TV host and DIY expert Karl Champley.

Even if you're not into entering contests, the Gladiator site is a useful spot to do some window shopping. They offer lots of ideas for making better use of your garage, and not coincidentally offer products (good quality!) to meet those needs. You might also want to take a look at 9 Steps to a Well-Organized Garage.