In the name of progress, we have made some pretty dumb “improvements” to the things we use to build our houses over the centuries. Some have killed people like asbestos, and others are just so atrociously ugly that they deserve to die a slow death in a landfill. The modern era has seen some of […]
On one side you have the old house lovers who will tell you, with complete confidence, that old houses are built better than any new house today. And on the other side you have the new house people who think buying an old house is the height of insanity because just like Tom Hanks and […]
Last year I wrote a post about 10 great tools under $50 and it was a huge hit. So this year I’m back just in time for the holidays with a revised list that contains some my all time favorites and some new discoveries that have recently become indispensable elements of my tool belt. Not […]
I’ve been a restoration contractor for almost 15 years, but before that I was just a newlywed husband who bought his first old house with his new bride, excited for all our restoration and renovation plans. 14 years later I wish I could talk to that guy before he purchased the home and give him […]
If you’re considering adding a cistern to your home this post is a must read before you make any decisions. Cisterns are an excellent way to conserve water which is not only great for your neighborhood and city but also provides a huge savings to your water bill as utility rates are constantly increasing these […]
So many questions swirl around in my head as I think about the windows we install on our homes today. The other day while driving through my neighborhood and seeing some replacement windows that were due for replacement again I was struck by a question that never really occurred to me in over a decade […]
If you wanna start a fight with a designer or preservationist just ask this one simple question. “Is it wainscoting or wainscoating?” People seem to be very passionate about this answer and saying one side is wrong is like insulting your Italian grandmother’s sauce. Them’s fighting words! I’m not one to split the baby in […]
America has a mixed history of building quality over its 200+ years. From its colonial roots to the baby-boom years of mass production to the complex engineering of today the style and quality of buildings has changed greatly. If you’re looking to buy a house, knowing when it was built is just as good a […]
There are some very famous old houses that we have grown up on TV, the news, or are famously haunted and I thought that since it’s halloween it might be fun to take a look at those houses and what made them so special. So, for this very special halloween post we’ll be digging into […]
One of my favorite insulations on the market today is mineral wool otherwise known as Rock Wool. Even though it lags in use compared to the more popular fiberglass insulation that most people are familiar with it is, in my humble opinion one of the best insulations available today. You may be wondering why you […]
Running a business in the world of construction and restoration fields I am often left asking this question. Where have all the tradesmen gone? In years past it wasn’t a problem trying find an able-bodied man or woman interested in working a good paying job doing manual labor, but after the Great Recession of 2008 […]
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 […]
