QUESTION: We live in a 72-year-old stone-and-stucco house. We had termite treatment performed seven years ago, and annual inspection failed to uncover new infestations. However, there is repair work that needs to be done, and we want to know that we are being given the correct recommendations as we obtain estimates.

The damage includes the headers of two ground-level basement windows and three beams. What would be the proper way to repair this damage?

ANSWER: Without knowing the extent of the damage, it's hard to make a recommendation. In my experience, however, it's better to replace than repair, even though replacement is technically the more costly option.

Bring in a structural engineer to look at the beams, which are more important to the structural integrity of your house. New beams could certainly be sistered to the damaged ones to ensure they are supplying the proper support, but that's a determination a professional should make.

The fact that these are basement-window headers and that they are at ground level makes me concerned about moisture issues - that is, will moisture aggravate the damage and eventually undo any repairs. The structural integrity of the windows may also be an issue.

QUESTION: We recently bought a home that needed to have some repairs to the attic and ventilation system. I opened, extended and replaced a clogged ridge vent, replaced mold-infested insulation, and cut a 2-inch-wide channel for soffit vents where there were only a few randomly spaced

-inch holes.

From what I read, I gathered that I needed a minimum of one square foot of ventilation for each 300 square feet of attic, or about 500 square inches of total ventilation. I've got a lot more than that now.

A contractor I was talking to about an unrelated job was trying to tell me that I had too much ventilation. Is that possible? I have about one-third more total soffit vent than the total of the ridge and the gable vents.

ANSWER: The experts tell me that you really can't have too much attic ventilation. Air is required in houses for people to breathe and for certain appliances - stoves, hot-water heaters and furnaces, all of which involve combustion - to function safely as designed. Air moving through a house can reduce moisture levels and lengthen the building's life.

Ventilation performs two tasks: It reduces moisture levels year-round, so that mold and rot are decreased while roof decking life is increased; and it equalizes inside and outside temperatures in winter, to reduce the formation of ice dams in gutters.

Does ventilation actually reduce an attic's heat levels? Not necessarily. There are other things that determine how hot your attic is, including wind direction and how much shade your roof receives from trees.

Is there a simple way to tell if your house is properly ventilated? In winter, if windows sweat, the house is too tight. If the house is dry, it is probably over-ventilated.

QUESTION: My wife and I have just been discussing why some fans have four blades while others have five. It is my contention that five blades are used simply for aesthetic reasons, while my wife believes the additional blade must imply a better design and air flow.

Then I wondered, since airplanes typically use two blades, would that not be the most practical number of blades for a ceiling fan as well?

ANSWER: According to an expert I queried, it's a style issue - contemporary-style fans have five blades, three blades are considered futuristic, and four are traditional.

The more blades, the more dust collection involved. I have no proof of this, but after having nine ceiling fans in my houses, I think the dust that the spinning blades collect should be removed regularly - to ensure the fan operates more efficiently.

QUESTION: With the price of fuel oil at $2 per gallon and the likelihood of increases this winter, I am wondering at what point electric heat becomes more economical.

I have a rancher that is less than 1,000 square feet. We have been discussing putting electric baseboard heaters into our most used rooms, to supplement the oil furnace we have. Anyone we mention this to has flashbacks to when electricity was so expensive, but most people are comparing it with the old $1-per-gallon oil.

My electricity costs haven't gone up in years. Wish I could say the same about filling my oil tank.

ANSWER: Remember, the electric companies also depend on oil to produce power, and as their costs rise, the difference will be passed along to you. (I once rented an apartment in a building in which the owner converted from natural gas to electric baseboard heat. The monthly bill tripled and we were still cold.)

If you're worried about fuel-oil prices, there are alternatives. Some suppliers offer contracts to regular customers that allow them to lock in a certain price for a certain amount of oil before heating season arrives. That means if you signed up at $2 per gallon and the price rose to $4, you'd still pay only $2. Just read the contract carefully to be sure there is no hidden price-escalation clause.

There also are fuel cooperatives, such as the one run by the Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, which has 1,100 members locally. Using the collective buying power of that many users, the co-op negotiates prices based on the daily wholesale price of oil that can save members up to $200 per year. I belonged to the group for several years, when I lived in a house with an oil furnace. In the winter of 2000-01, for example, we paid $1.06 per gallon when the retail price was $1.42.

There is an annual membership fee. For more information, call 215-893-3835.

Have questions for Alan J. Heavens? Send them to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8263, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia 19101 or aheavens@phillynews.com. Heavens is the author of "What No One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home," published by Dearborn Trade.