I have written in the past about the benefits of using reclaimed building materials during an old house restoration. Unfortunately, not all historic old houses can be saved from demolition; some are just so far gone that it isn’t feasible to attempt a restoration and others are
taken down in the name of progress despite the [......Read More
I’ve always tried to have a positive outlook on life and the events that have shaped my life, in particular. The silver lining might not be there 100 percent of the time, but I’ve found that if I look hard enough, it’s there more times than not. I think these days just about all of [......Read More
Today’s guest post is from Rob Jones, chief blogger, social media practitioner, and online marketer for BuildDirect, an online building materials and flooring vendor. A part of BuildDirect’s business is in providing building materials to homeowners who in turn buy them for contractor projects in order save money without sacrificing qua...Read More
Typically, when folks love old houses they also tend to love other old structures–churches in particular. Here on OldHouseWeb.com, we even have stories of one old house enthusiast who used her renovating skills to actually restore a church. And Bill Kibbel, a bona fide old house expert and regular contributor to OHW, has written about [...Read More
I recently blogged about the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s offer to restore the historic Gamble House and how it was rejected by the Foundation that owns the old house. The Foundation considered the offer to be unfeasible, and one of the reasons given was that the home’s foundation was sinking. The more I have th...Read More
As lovers and students of old buildings know, asbestos was a common building material for everything from siding and roofing to the much vilified pipe-insulation.
It’s use started in the late 1800s and its legacy lasted well into the last century. Sure, the material–invented somewhat by accident history has it by the Keasbey & Matti...Read More
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The Gamble House from CincinnatiPreservation.org
I’m finally starting to understand how the old prime-time soaps such as “Dallas” and “Falcon Crest” developed such a loyal following; all it takes is a few plot twists and people to play the parts of the good and bad guys–and the next thing you know, youR...Read More
If you’ve been an OldHouseWeb.com visitor for any length of time, you’ve probably visited and even vented on the forums. After all, renovating an old house can be frustrating and challenging at times. The forums are full of old house horror stories, a lot of which stem from the ridiculous things that previous owners have [......Read More
So why is a door nail dead anyway?
Actually, it’s kind of a cool story.
One is said to be “dead as a door nail” because when doors were built of nailed together planks the carpenters pounded the nail through then bent it over on the other side. This is called “clench-nailing” and its one heck of [......Read More
When it comes to the blunt-force trauma of demolition–often the first phase in old house remodeling–I reach for brutal, smartly designed tools. In my mind, the best way to approach demo is to be smart and tough.
That blend of sense and sinew is important to me because, despite what I’ve seen on far too many [......Read More
