A series of spring home seminars sponsored by the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association will provide expert guidance on topics ranging from flood control to appealing property taxes.

Registration is required to reserve a space. Go to chicagobungalow.org for more information or to register.

Masonry repair. Mario Machnicki, founder and president of Marion Restoration, will discuss common masonry deterioration problems, how to identify priority repairs and the best practices for repointing.

11:30 a.m. Saturday, Beverly Public Library, 1962 W. 95th St.

Bungalow maintenance. Carla Bruni, a sustainability and preservation consultant, will discuss building materials used in Chicago-area bungalows, ways to reduce energy use and how to tackle basic home repairs.

6 p.m. Thursday, Brainerd Public Library, 1350 W. 89th St.

6 p.m. March 19, Budlong Woods Public Library, 5630 N. Lincoln Ave.

Basement flooding. David St. Pierre, executive director of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and Thomas LaPorte, assistant commissioner of the city of Chicago's Department of Water Management, will give an overview on how the city's sewer systems operate during rainstorms. They will also discuss steps homeowners can take to prevent sewer backups.

6:30 p.m. March 3, Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Ave.

6 p.m. March 11, Mount Greenwood Public Library, 11010 S. Kedzie Ave.

6:30 p.m. March 18, Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St.

6 p.m. March 25, Jefferson Park Public Library, 5363 W. Lawrence Ave.

Rain barrel installation. This hands-on workshop teaches how to install a rain barrel in a backyard — from materials needed to steps on how to disconnect a downspout for rain barrel installation. Limited to 30 participants.

10 a.m. April 5, 1331 W. 108th Place

10 a.m. April 26, 4100 W. Argyle St.

Estate planning. Paul Mozis, an investment executive at MB Financial Bank, will discuss the basics of planning an estate, such as determining assets and heirs.

6 p.m. April 28, Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St.

Property tax appeals. Andrea Raila of Raila & Associates will give the "do's and don'ts" of appealing property taxes and when to file an appeal.

6:30 p.m. April 30, Rogers Park Public Library, 6907 N. Clark St.

Planter box gardening. Jackie Riffice of Prairie Godmothers and Jo Stavig of Urban Prairie Planters will give the steps needed to transform ordinary containers into planters, as well as offer tips and techniques for planting and maintenance.

6:30 p.m. May 8, Portage Park Fieldhouse, 4100 N. Long Ave.

6:30 p.m. May 12, Beverly Public Library, 1962 W. 95th St.

Planting a rain garden. The basics of planting a rain garden will be discussed. Included are lessons on maintenance and how rain gardens can deter basement flooding.

6:30 p.m. May 15, Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt Ave.

6:30 p.m. May 22, location to be announced

Restoring wood interiors. Araceli Perez of Peter's Wood Refinishing will teach the basics of stripping and refinishing woodwork. Perez will also focus on how to prep walls, floors and doorways before stripping.

6 p.m. June 4, Avalon Public Library, 8148 S. Stony Island Ave.

6 p.m. June 9, Mayfair Public Library, 4400 W. Lawrence Ave.

Window repair. Julie Liska of Liska Architects will discuss the benefits of restoring old sash windows, materials used in them and the history of sash windows. Liska will also discuss misconceptions about new windows.

6 p.m. June 18, Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted St.

6:30 p.m. June 24, Portage Park Fieldhouse, 4100 N. Long Ave.

jmikula@tribune.com