The Historic District

In cold climates soft bricks in direct ground contact will go through Freeze/thaw cycles and eventually disintergrate. The bricks designed for street and sidewalk use were fired to be impervious to moisture. Some companies referred to them as "granite pavers" they were so hard. It was quit...

Lilly... I have been collecting bricks for a long time now. I used to scour craigslist and E-bay for this type of paver. These salt glazed bricks were made in Nelsonville, OH. They were wildly popular in the first 1/4 of the 20th century for paving sidewalks in the midwest. I'm in Alabama which was ...

I have been laying bricks for way too long. A bed of crushed limestone is the way to go. The limestone packs down tight and does not shift like sand will. 70° temperatures on Wednesday allowed me to work on the latest patio addition. There was a wisteria planted here... I will NEVER plant wisteria a...

What a great idea with linseed oil and turpentine. That was a summer job I did as a child way too many years ago to my dad's wooden extension ladders. He eventually gave me the wooden ladders and got aluminum replacements. Those aluminum ladders are mine now... what an improvement for setting up and...

I had occasion to use my ancient wooden 6ft step ladder on an outside job. This old "war horse" had gotten quite loose and shakey over the decades. I was contemplating buying a new fiberglass ladder replacement. Time got away from me and I forgot to bring this old ladder back into the hous...

A house illuminated by gas lights is truly special: tour of a gas lit home

Here is a picture showing the base unit for this style of light. The “ears” twist under the “spring connectors”. The main drawback is the recessed brass screws on the outside of the top piece are live. http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm80/brick1101/004_3.jpg This light was in the pantry in my old...

I have totally stripped the exteriors of two houses over the last 40 years. I used a propane torch with a flame spreader for both. Where the paint was never scraped and allowed to build up was the easiest to remove as the thick paint acted as an insulater to help prevent scorching the underlying woo...

I have worked with Bradbury and Bradbury wallpaper for just about 20 years. My last paperhanging project in the fall of 2015 was a nightmare. Be aware on many of their production papers they are now using "archival water based inks" which in laymans terms means you can't get the surface of...

This site turned up a a friends Facebook page. I found it to be very informative. Being an "old house person" my entire life, I'm no fan of McMansions. This site explains why these houses are historically and archichecturally awkward. The subject is presented in a straightforward manner wi...