Several of my most enjoyable renovation projects were houses that were totally violated: everything worth anything ripped clean out of them. In fact, I live in one of those houses now so I’ll talk about this one. We bought this house after watching it sit vacant for 7 years--of course, that’s not … [Read more...]
The Silence of the Lambs Basement of Old Junque
May 18, 2010 By ·
I get a huge kick out of amassing great quantities of old junk. Not just junk really, but “junque.” That’s French and that makes it valuable. I kid, sorta. … [Read more...]
How Little Bug Bodies Give Trim that Warm Historic Look
May 18, 2010 By ·
My favorite old house finish is made from the scraped bits of bug secretions. And when first harvested, the finish is a tempting amalgam of scraped bark, bug appendages, and sticky-lac resin. The female lac bug is the one responsible for this resin and she lives in the trees of India and … [Read more...]
Avoid a Paint Hang-Over with Essential Oil
May 17, 2010 By ·
Ever paint a room and feel like you've been injected by a flu-like contagion and then dragged behind the back of a truck? I've been the unfortunate victim of a painting hang-over without any joy of getting there. Happily, a friend of mine has cured my painterly blues. Probably the most common … [Read more...]
Edible Underwear to Platinum Rings
May 16, 2010 By ·
I've seen it all: crack baggies hidden behind historic Craftsman trim, edible underwear in the attic (No lie and it was still in its original packaging!), houses crawling with German roaches, toilets that dump their nasty contents into the dirt crawlspace, and foyers with giant gaping holes in the … [Read more...]
