Chronicling my adventures restoring and updating a quirky old Philadelphia rowhouse
A quick review – I found the original brick mold in place and mostly in good shape under the aluminum capping around all 4 of my front windows. It has an unusual shape, very narrow when viewed head on, but deep and with an interesting profile. Also, look how badly the first floor windows slant…
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Do you get the pun? Anyways, it wasn’t too long ago that I was doing mental backflips to be satisfied with an obviously inauthentic door because it’s mahogany and it’s there and I can’t get a 30 year mortgage on a replacement. Then I bought a period door, but the jambs started bothering me. So…
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On Monday Tito and I were leaving for a day trip down the shore and the front door wouldn’t lock. Usually before the door jambs would swell in and the door wouldn’t close (until you shoulder checked it with all your might) and I’ve had to grind it back with a belt sander 3 times.…
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Sorry, I’ve had some technical difficulties trying to write this post. But anyways, I’ve had some good and bad news. The good? I’m officially done cleaning the brick! The bad? I’m done because further tests haven’t shown any noticeable improvement. My house looks a little dirty next to the house next door… and next to…
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This is an important question and I want lots of advice. I’m… ordering windows! Very exciting! And I want the windows I can to be at least somewhat respectful of the architecture of the house. To review, really cheap vinyl windows. Cheap vinyl windows that are showing their age because they are 20 years old…
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I really should have been starting the kitchen, but that got held up this weekend so instead I decided to go to Philadelphia Salvage. Just to look for a skeleton key for the vestibule door and set screws for some old porcelain door knobs. Really, that’s all I was looking for. But, no luck. The…
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This isn’t what I meant… No, 2016 was my first time hosting holiday dinner, so I feel very grown up! And I decided to pretend to be Italian because I live in South Philly (even though my part is more southeast Asian than Italian now). I went all out and served the Seven Fishes…
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I bet you want to know how the tour/party went, but first one of the last things I did to clean for it. In contrast to what I talked about hearing from my steps last week, the steps themselves wasn’t white enough. It used to be a thing that everyone would scrub their marble steps…
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I write about problems like my terror of having the back exterior stuccoed in a texture that doesn’t look old. Sure, there are real problems that I care about, but there’s always someone who knows more about them than I do. And aside from what I know well enough to write about it, avoiding controversy…
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I’m gonna be on a house tour! Or actually better than that, a beer tour. This one will be especially interesting because the whole group moves from house to house on a schedule. That means I can expect about 70 people. And remember, this room is basically the whole house. So this should be interesting.…
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