The Historic District

I lived in a house built about 1920 that had a similar sink the basement. I thought, just based on exterior inspection, that it was a metal layer on top of something (wood??). But maybe it was solid metal--I never could tell for sure. I do agree that it's almost certainly original to your house.

Huh. The ones I've take apart in my house have a very light coating of rust. I always figured the walls/windows were leaky (to air, not rain) and that a little rust was natural over the years from infiltration during rainstorms etc. But Jade has seen a lot more sash weights than I ever will so maybe...

That's a great story! I can picture it, and certainly intriguing to kids.

I looked at the pictures of your house, using the link below the photo. If I'm interpreting what I saw correctly, you have the original built-in hutch in the dining room (lucky you; mine was ripped out by PO) and it has doors in back to pass dishes through from the kitchen. This makes me think you n...

Maybe you could think of the look as "steam-punk" Well, now that I think about, maybe not so strange. Have you ever seen one of those hot-air furnaces from the early 20th century? They have a big furnace in the center of the basement with tubes stretching upward to vents in the first floo...

Still pondering this. I can afford it, but there are other things (both house-related and otherwise) that could use attention so I have to prioritize. It is very very tempting . . . Aside from the money, there's also a part of me that doesn't want to put a lot of weird (by late Victorian standards) ...

I look forward to seeing more! I removed the vinyl from my house and it was definitely worth the effort and the cost.

For those who are curious about what a high-velocity system might cost, here are the estimates I got. I am halfway between New York City and Albany, so labor costs are lower here than in the City but more than one would pay in some other areas. Estimate 1: $14,700 (plus separate electrican) Estimate...

It can get pretty cold here in the winter (two days ago, it was 20° at night; unusual but not unheard of for April, never mind January). Relying on passive heating would probably not be enough to avoid problems, I'm afraid. Plus I am trying to tighten up the junction between the second floor ceiling...

Yes, winter is the problem. The idea came into my head "Hey, if I have these ducts put in, I could use them to spread humidified air" followed 1/2 second later by the realization that putting plumbing in an unheated attic is NOT a good idea. Silly me. But it would be nice to have better hu...