I’ve built a few decks in my time and I can assure you that staining a new deck made of pressure treated wood is in some ways easier than restoring an older deck, but it has some unique challenges that trip a lot of people up. So you’re not one of those people who have […]
Board and batten siding is one of my favorite styles of wood siding that gives a classic, rustic appearance to a home. This type of siding has been around for centuries and has evolved in style very little over the years other than the use of new materials to replace what was historically only done […]
Google has a fantastic self-populating feature as you type in a search term so I thought it would be fun to see what Google thinks I’m wanting to know when I type “wood windows” into the search bar. As I suspected, the questions were more in line with infamous “false assumption” premise otherwise known as […]
I get this question all the time, and I’m amazed it has taken me so long to address the topic comprehensively in a post. You’ve been patient enough so today I’ll teach you how to glaze windows in place. The process for reglazing an old window is something that need to be done about every […]
All houses need some kind of maintenance to keep performing their best, and old houses are no exception. Actually, they typically need more maintenance than newer homes which can be a deterrent for some homeowners, but I think we should look at the situation a little differently. Homes built after WWII were designed with planned […]
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 […]
