Old House Additions aka Builders Aren’t Architects! Alien ships have landed. At least it appears that way when you look at some of the additions on millions of old and historic homes across America. Plopped onto our homesteads are some of the most curious and seemingly disconnected structures imaginable. Homeowners,
Installing Tin Ceilings Many years ago I was standing in a small library I had just completed. It had custom designed bookcases that flowed with the design of the 1882 house, birds eye maple floors, wainscoting, and just about every whoop-dee-doo you could imagine. By all rights it was a
Paint It Right! Replacement siding can seem like a really great way to make your house look better and avoid the hassles of painting. That’s the big lie. Replacement siding is almost always nailed right onto the original siding after all of the original architectural features are stripped off. Visually
Bricks, Re-Pointing & French Bread My wife Pat and I were recently at the 1866 Italianate brick home of some new friends. Their home is in good shape but has three interior, exposed brick walls in the kitchen. They showed me where all the mortar is crumbling, which in turn
What’s a Double Hung Window? Last week I had a conversation with an old house owner out west. She really wanted to replace her windows so I told her that she should go ahead and replace her 100-year-old windows if she liked spending more money than necessary for something that
Hannibal, Missouri—America’s Best Kept Secret! My wife Pat and I moved to Hannibal, Missouri in July, 2008. We’ve been here over a year now and feel more than ever it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. I was born in St. Louis and raised in Des Moines,
