Category: Uncategorized

Chronicling my adventures restoring and updating a quirky old Philadelphia rowhouse

Talking Tile, again

Endless planning without serious progress could be a bad habit, but mistakes in design or construction methods would be much, much worse. So here’s the second post talking about the bathroom. And to be fair, I did get a little bit done in spite of the weather.

Construction Truck + South Philly Parking + Polar Vortex = ?

I guess the word is fiasco. Today the insulation contractors came to spray foam my house. Yes, they came even when there was a huge winter storm. So last night I came in to finish off the small jobs that needed to go in before the insulation, and to run around with my next door…
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A moment of silence for the pocket shutters that were

The focus at the Crooked House these days is getting openings framed up on any outside walls before the insulation is installed. Anywhere that wasn’t gutted is going to have blown in cellulose; open walls are to have spray foam. Problem is, I needed to make sure that every opening in these walls is exactly…
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Chad, you ruined my Thanksgiving…

“I wanted a fire with dinner, and you put a #&%$ing trash can in my living room!” The trash can was filled with firewood. And by firewood I mean construction waste. Specifically, wooden construction waste that had never been painted, varnished, glued, or pressure treated. My poor mother has agreed that it can all go…
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