Chronicling my adventures restoring and updating a quirky old Philadelphia rowhouse
I’ve been waiting a really long time to say that! But I’m going to wait one more paragraph because I also want to talk about the washing machine. My stairs are really, really narrow, particularly heading down to the basement because the foundation walls are rubble stone and much thicker than the brick that was…
Read more
Before we get to the basement, let’s resolve the insulation issue. The contractor fixed everything I complained about without giving me any trouble at all. I have to hand it to them for that. It’s still lumpy, but there’s now a good air seal everywhere, I think. And if not, they’re coming back a fifth…
Read more
So last week the insulation was to happen Tuesday and Wednesday, which means that Tuesday night was to be very busy getting some drywall up. The good news is that we ended up having more time than anticipated. Now for the bad news…. On Day 1, the contractor showed up, circled around looking for parking,…
Read more
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…
Read more
But it’s not nearly as terrifying this time.
Well first of all, happy holidays everyone! Yes that photo was staged. And I heard it for even having the trash can there long enough to take it. Now the trash can population on the screen porch has been in flux, reaching a maximum of 9, then declining to 4. There are two more ready…
Read more
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…
Read more
“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…
Read more
My big upcoming insulation/chimney/windows contract is taking advantage of the EnergySense program from Philadelphia Gas Works. I’m getting an extremely low interest loan to finance anything that improves my house’s indoor air quality, comfort, or energy efficiency. Air sealing and insulation will give me a much, much bigger bang for my buck than window replacement,…
Read more
was that so much of the original woodwork was intact. Here’s the last time you’ll get to see it: