The Historic District

Thank you very much!

We call the back yard of our 1916 house "The Giving Yard." Things are constantly working their way up through the grass and soil, or we find things as we clean and remodel. For example, a 1939 British two-shilling piece, and we're in Montana. ??? Anyway, out by a very old shed that we're f...

Update: We got a Phantom Screen for the front door and love it! When it's retracted you see almost nothing, as the hardware is so thin. Really helps in cooling the house.

Another vote for Marmoleum brand of real lino. We installed the click type in our entryway closet and it replaced the old sheet lino that we found when we ripped out the hideous carpet. Sadly, the old lino was beyond saving but the new lino we got almost matched it in color and pattern (Van Gogh col...

Just FYI, a very easy way to convert a negative is to open the photo file in Paint, the program that comes with Windows. Select the negative with Ctrl-A (select all), then right-click on it and choose "Invert Color." Boom, done.

I'll add that in older homes asbestos and lead could be concerns. Lead paint can be painted over, but asbestos is a bear to get rid of and can cost a fortune. Also, have someone check for mold. When we had our current house inspected, the inspector found mold in the attic space but was unqualified t...

I think for an old house that keeping hex tiles to two or three colors max is best. Just my opinion. When it starts running to five or more colors it looks like a commercial building or just too fancy.

Welcome to the forums! I definitely agree with nlswitz that living with the home for a while before doing any remodeling is an excellent idea. For the interiors, this gives you a chance to see what the light is like at various times of the year and so forth. For the exterior, I highly recommend read...

I think the number one rule-that's-not-a-rule is to keep in mind that you have to LIVE in the house. It is not a museum. All your reasons for wanting to add on are good ones. Truthfully, a ton of old houses have been enlarged and added on to, but if the additions are old enough we old house lovers t...

Yes, as I mentioned, we could buy a plain screen door but we don't want to cover up our beautiful front door. The RS would disappear completely when not in use.