So, share your home improvement resolutions with us today! And learn what resolutions WE suggest at http://www.moneypit.com/article/new-years-re.... Contest ends December 31st and a winner selected at random will be announced on New Year's Day. Good luck!

If you have a flat roof, take extreme caution climbing onto it to remove snow. It might be a good idea to call a pro for the job. If you must, make sure you have help on the ground and watch your step! The danger of serious injury, or even death, is always a risk when working at heights. Add snow or ice on the roof to the mix and one wrong move could send you over the edge before you have a chance to do anything about it.

If you are lucky enough to have a metal roof, you have a self-cleaning roof system! As soon as the temperatures climb a little and the roof warms up, the snow will slide right off.

Keep in mind that if your doors or windows don't seem to be working right, if you spot a roof leak or if you notice deflection of ceiling finishes or exposed beams, you may have a roof failure or potential roof collapse. In this case, call your homeowners insurance company or a structural engineer for advice. But remember, most of the time, you can avoid a roof collapse from heavy snow by having good roof drainage and above freezing temperatures.

* Cork

* Bamboo

* Hardwood

* Tile

* Vinyl

If you do need to have a seam in the room, you want to avoid having it in the middle of a traffic pattern or down the center of the room. Carpet yardage for hallways and the landings is calculated just by doing the math. But for stairs count one full yard for each step and you will be good to go!

Running a self-cleaning cycle puts an oven it through more stress than just about anything else you can do to it. Studies show that ovens may tend to break down or perform inconsistently just after a self-clean cycle. If your oven is on the verge of such a break down -- and Murphy's Law being what it is -- you can count on that happening just hours before the in-laws are about to show up expecting a grand home cooked meal!

Finding a service technician or even ordering parts and repairing the oven yourself is not something that can always be accomplished on short notice, so skip the self-cleaning cycle and stick to manual wipe-downs until the guests are gone. In the meantime, here are three quick and easy oven maintenance tips that won't leave your oven down for the count.

For more oven tips, see our story here:http://www.moneypit.com/article/oven-repair-maintenance-and-troubleshooting-tips.

Thanks for the warm welcome. We're glad to be here!

Tom and Leslie