When the temps turn cold, the fireplace springs into action again to keep us warm and cozy as we stare transfixed at the dancing flames. There is something magical about a wood burning fireplace that can quiet rowdy children and encourage those conversations that only happen when the television is off. So every fall it’s […]
Fixing up an old house requires a lot of different tools. Some of them are easy to find at the corner hardware store and some are more specialty items that are a lot harder to find. Just like picking the right wood filler or choosing the right primer can make or break your project the […]
Whitewash has a long history that goes back well before America does. It was one of the earliest forms of painting and sealing in historic construction and the look is still popular today. It’s a great way to get that shabby chic appearance on furniture and other decor. The traditional recipe for whitewash was a […]
Insulation is a very regional discussion. The best advice for a home in Boston can be disastrous for home in Phoenix and vice versa. In order to insulate a home properly, getting advice from a local contractor is essential. But since almost every bit of insulation advice I have ever seen on the interwebs is […]
We are working on an exterior restoration project right now where the client wants to remove all the original paint from the siding and trim. So, that means chemical paint strippers because infrared is too slow and hand scraping is too exhausting for a whole building. Dumond was nice enough to send us one of […]
Even as a contractor myself, I can’t deny that one of the most difficult things a homeowner will have to do is hire a good contractor. Learning how to find the right contractor is more of an art than a science. When you tack on the added speciality of needing a contractor who understands historic […]
Decorating with shiplap seems to be all the rage these days thanks to Fixer Upper and other popular TV shows. Consistently, the most popular post on this blog right now is No Joanna, That’s Not Shiplap which I wrote to poke a little fun at Joanna Gaines for her seemingly constant diagnosis of shiplap, whether a […]
This has been a fun trip down the path toward Proving Preservation with you guys. I’ve gotten some great feedback from readers and hope you’ll continue to give me your thoughts. After all, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man another.” Proverbs 27:17 Having an answer for things you believe is the best way to […]
The Nest Thermostat is a great learning thermostat that can be installed very easily by any DIYer. The install is fairly straight forward and you can be saving money on your energy bills in under 30 minutes by following the steps on this tutorial. Just because you have an old home doesn’t mean you need […]
An open letter to house flippers: Dear Flippers, Please stop! You are so busy trying to get things done under time and under budget that you are turning our beautiful old homes into cheap, off the shelf, particle board infested, Ikea knock-offs. And the pace with which you move is breathtaking. I speak to you as […]
I’ve been reading some posts by friends of mine who work in historic preservation and it’s got me thinking about the “why” of saving old buildings a little more than the “how” this week. Each week, I put together what I hope will be an educational post for you to get some work done around […]
Last week I had a blast destroying a bunch of glass samples in my shop for Part 1 of this glass series. This week, I’ll reveal the results of my thermal testing to see if there really is such a thing as energy efficient glass. I’ll preface this with the fact that I am not […]
