Lincrusta Repair in San Francisco
Our house was built in 1879 by the Solari family. Lincrusta was invented just two years before that. We’ve got one of the original patterns, which Lincrusta no longer makes, and the section in the stairwell is damaged.
Books I Love For Repairs in Your Historic House
As I recently wrote, it’s challenging to find good information on how to repair things in your historic home if you want to do it in a way that doesn’t permanently damage or take away from character defining features and historic materials. Yes, the materials were better... I’ll die on this hill.
Old House Problems + How to Learn to Solve Them
It’s our first full winter in the Big Red House, and we’ve noticed that during rainy San Francisco days, our house is COLD. Here’s a look into our old house problems. And how to learn to solve them.
Projects for the Big Red House
The house we bought needs quite a bit of work.
Why I Go For Granny Houses
My ideal home is one that someone’s grandmother has lived in for the past 50 years and has done minimal updates.
The Great Window Debate
Windows are a touchy subject in our household. We’ve got a crazy lady who thinks all historic homes should have functioning wood windows and period-appropriate doors (that’s me!) and a dude who couldn’t care less about any of it. This has lead me to do tons of research to try to figure out if my side of the argument really matters that much or not, or if I’m just a crazy old house person.
Don't Pressure Wash that Beauty!
Pressure washing seems like a pretty normal maintenance item for homeownership, right? My dad definitely pressure washed things around the house as a kid, and I often see it when taking walks around neighborhoods on the weekends.