By ED DEL GRANDE, HGTVPro.com

It's no secret to most of us that the real-estate market has currently slowed down in many areas of the country. But, you may not realize how many homeowners are now in the process of remodeling or adding to their present home to get what they want now, instead of buying and selling into an unstable market.

Q: Thanks, Ed, for all the advice you give us women along with the men. It's very important to me since I'm the only women in the house with my husband and four young boys. As you can imagine, our toilet is flushed all day long and we're tired of wasting all that water.

Q: Hello Ed, this is not really a plumbing question, but I know you have written some articles on home generators. I'm looking to buy a home that is being sold as "generator ready." What exactly does that mean, and how much work still needs to be done to actually have the home generator installed? Nobody can give me a straight answer. -- Fred, Wisconsin

Q: Ed, thanks for being there for all of us "plumbing-challenged" people! I am considering changing out our old '80s toilet with a new "high-efficiency toilet." Looking around, I noticed that most of these HETs use "flapperless" flushing systems.

Q: Ed, you're not going to believe this, but our beautiful new fiberglass tub/shower unit has a golf-ball-sized chip in the surface from when my husband somehow managed to knock the towel bar into the tub. (Don't ask!) Nothing leaks, so it's pretty much cosmetic. How do we get it to look pretty again? -- Cindy in Iowa

For years now, at many of my speeches across the country, I've been teaching homeowners on how to prepare their homes for severe weather. My usual message is that the secret is to prepare your home well in advance of seasonal storms.

Q: I have a question about the new "eco" shower heads that are on the market today. I changed to my present shower head a few years ago because it uses only 2.5 gallons a minute. Is this an eco shower head, or do I need to update again? Thanks. Since I live in a dry area, I want to save as much water as I can. -- Rico in Georgia

Q: I have a strange problem. I have a concrete-slab-foundation home built in the '60s. The slab floor seems to be deteriorating around my kitchen-sink cabinet. Tiles in that area won't stay fixed to it and keep popping up. There is also a crack where I notice some moisture. How can I properly prepare the area to accept new flooring that stays put? -- Mary in Florida

Q: I hope you can help me with my washer/dryer room. The room is about 8 by 10 with an old ugly laundry utility sink that the washer drains into. I'd love to install a kitchen-type sink with cabinets and make a little pantry area along with the laundry room. Can this upgrade be done? And where do I drain the washer?

Q: I am a fellow contractor and I always look forward to reading your articles. I have a real stumper. A client called me to check out a slow-flushing toilet. I tried a plunger and auger, to no avail. Then, out of desperation, I removed the old toilet and replaced it with a new one. Guess what?