Transom windows seem to have a bit of mystery about them. A lot of people don’t understand exactly what a transom window is so I figured that it was high time that this window guy wrote a post explaining the ins and outs of transom windows. A transom window is essentially another window above a […]
I’m a restoration contractor (state licensed Certified Residential Contractor) here in the state of Florida and I felt it was high time that people across the country could get a sense of what the typical costs are for historic restoration and old house repair. There are other websites like Home Advisor and Angie’s List that […]
Since even my spellcheck doesn’t recognize the three types of lumber in this title I think that’s proof enough that this is a subject that needs some clarification. The three ways of cutting lumber called plainsawn, quartersawn, and riftsawn are integral to determining how a piece of lumber will look and behave. Each cut provides […]
I know that not everyone likes bats, but there’s something that I know everyone dislikes for certain. Mosquitos. Do you know what eats mosquitos? Bats eat mosquitos. And…now we all like bats. The best way get rid of mosquitos is by installing a bat house in your yard. In this post, I’ll show you how […]
On this site we talk about old houses and the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are plenty of joys and certainly some dangers of homeownership. We talked about dangers like lead paint, knob and tube wiring, and asbestos, but today I wanted to teach you about an electrical concern that may be lurking […]
If there was ever an all around favorite building materials used in old houses it would have to be good old fashioned beadboard. Even though my spellcheck always has a problem with the word, old home builders never did. Beadboard was used everywhere in old houses from beadboard wainscoating in bathrooms to beadboard ceilings on […]
Owning a private well is a great way to save costs and provide your family with a natural and healthy drinking source, but that also means that you are responsible for maintain a safe and clean water supply instead of relying on your city’s water. Learning how to perform your own well water testing is […]
A sticking door is sometimes enough to drive you batty. And the trouble is there are a lot of reasons you may have a door that sticks. In this post, I’ll cover the four main reasons that may result in a door that sticks and how to resolve each them so you have a smooth […]
Updating an old home often means bringing electrical equipment up to code. Nowhere is this truer than in bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens, where a GFCI outlet is mandatory. Fortunately, installing a GFCI outlet is a fairly simple task that shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes. GFCI stands for Ground-fault circuit interrupter. These outlets […]
Historic houses are considered historic or architecturally significant by the National Register of Historic Places or by a local historic board if they exemplify a signature architectural style, capture the essence of a given time period, are associated with famous people from the past, or are located within a historical neighborhood. If you’re looking to […]
Old houses get a bad wrap. There are dozens of myths about old houses and I think it’s time we set the record straight. In a technology driven world, our culture is in love with the newest gadget. This makes sense because a 10-year old computer is largely useless by todays standards and something 20 […]
What is brown and white and gray all over? Or I could ask what is red and green and pink all over? The answer would be the same. It’s a terrazzo floor! In fact, the blends of terrazzo floors could be any color combination your creative mind can think of. If you don’t know what […]
