Our tree wells were weedy and ugly. When we finally got around to them, Ron was looking for a fast fix. But i'm a stickler for details and I reminded Ron that our motto is, "Do it once, do it right!" So I said the...
Our neighborhood -- originally named Peabody Heights -- was an early experiment in suburban amenties. Each rowhouse featured a small plot of grass out front. Apparently, this was guite a luxury. Even the best houses downtown fronted directly onto the sidewalk. As you see from...
In early spring 2011, we installed ornamental iron atop our brick garden walls for a thoroughly Victorian touch. It was specialty work, done by an ornamental iron company. We weren't sure it'd ever get done because we'd been waiting two years for the iron. The stuff...
Our friend Betsy needed a coat rack, so we decided to help her out. Ron and I drove to York, PA, to visit our architectural salvage friend, Big Steverino. He travels all over the country salvaging cool stuff from old houses that are going to...
If you're a stickler for historic accuracy, then you might not like the project we just completed. What we did was improve the back staircase in our house. If we wanted to be absolutely true to the way our house was built 116 years ago,...