QUESTION: I have a hole in one of my window screens that is letting the bugs in. Is it easy to patch, or do I have to buy a whole new screen?ANSWER: Screens are easy to patch. In fact, you can buy kits that include everything you'll need for a $1.50 to $2 at drugstores and supermarkets.If the hole is no bigger than a couple of inches, you simply cut the patch from a piece of matching screening material; make it 1½ inches wider than the hole.Unravel a half-inch of screening wire on each side of the patch. Bend the ends of the wire 90 degrees to the patch and push them through the screen covering the hole. Bend over the wires projecting through on the back side, to hold the patch in place.

QUESTION: What can you tell me about flood insurance? We live really close to a small creek, but when we asked the mortgage lender if we needed flood insurance when we bought our house, the lender said no.ANSWER: Before any more time passes, you should check with your municipality to see whether your house is in a designated flood-hazard area. If the answer isn't immediately obvious, your town should be able to advise you how to proceed; the Web site of the National Flood Insurance Program, www.floodsmart.gov, also offers basic information.About 100 companies write policies backed by the flood-insurance program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Mitigation Division. Nearly 20,000 municipalities participate in the program by adopting and enforcing floodplain-management ordinances to reduce future damage. In exchange, the program makes low-cost flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in these communities.Having flood insurance means that you'll be reimbursed for your covered losses - homeowners-insurance policies do not cover flood damage. And, unlike federal disaster aid, the insurance reimbursement never has to be repaid. You can insure your home up to $250,000 and its contents up to $100,000. (Renters can cover belongings up to $100,000.) In general, a policy does not take effect until 30 days after you've purchased the flood insurance.In 2003, the average flood-insurance premium was $416 a year; the average amount of flood insurance purchased was $151,489. To find an agent, go to www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/agentsearch/searchform.jsp.

QUESTION: What's the difference between cement and concrete? I hear the words used interchangeably. Are they the same?ANSWER: According to the Portland Cement Association, which represents most of the country's major producers, cement is the grayish powder that comes in bags, while concrete is what results when you combine cement, water, sand and gravel to make a sidewalk.

QUESTION: What are European hinges?ANSWER: They also are known as concealed hinges, which is a better description. Unlike the traditional hinge of the standard North American cabinet, the European hinge is mortised into the cabinet frame and into the back side of the door, completely hiding the hinge when the door is closed. American cabinets have frames on which the doors are hung; European cabinets are frameless.The advantage to a European hinge is that it is easily adjustable, although it took me an entire kitchen of Ikea cabinets to master it. The hinge has one screw in the front and one in the back. The front screw moves the door left or right, and the back screw moves the door in or out and locks the door in place.

QUESTION: We recently moved into a house with a deck that had been painted with what looks like regular paint. The paint is peeling and needs to be redone. Would it be best to paint over this mess or strip and sand?ANSWER: It seems as if the previous owner violated the first rule of painting pressure-treated wood: Thou shall wait until it's dry. Paint won't adhere properly to any wet wood, and from experience I can tell you that pressure-treated lumber is the wettest. The wood should have been sealed first before any paint was applied.Stripping or sanding this wood presents an environmental hazard, since the deck material likely was treated with chromated copper arsenate, which is banned in residential uses. I'd call in a painting contractor to size up your situation and suggest a course of action. Many contractors have developed safe methods of removal and disposal.Send questions to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8263, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19101 or e-mail aheavens@phillynews.com