Listening to the Past :: How Architectural Details Inform Our Work
If you have an old house to work on, do some homework before you start your project. It can be as simple as looking the house over for details that give the...
Tag Archives: Building History
Building Moxie with Baltimore’s Newest Ace Hardware :: Canton Ace Hardware
A few weeks back I popped in to the grand opening of Baltimore’s newest Ace Hardware. A guest of the beaming Gina Schaefer, her company “A Few Cool Hardware Stores” is responsible...
Trends Then & Now :: A Silly Look at Home Renovation and Decorating through the Decades
There are many, many projects that homeowners undertake to add value to their homes. While it may match a current trend or fad, there is a real question about the long-term return...
Craftsman House Plans: Key Features that Everyone Loves
There are two primary things today’s homebuyers want: less square footage and more character. It’s no surprise, then, that about a century after the Arts & Crafts movement became a hallmark of...
The Story with Story Tapes :: An Alternative to Traditional Tape Measures?
The 12ft tape - a fantastic option for shop work or really any repetitive building activity that fits in that scale. But as Jane suggests, story tapes may be as equally valuable...
Restoring Wood Windows (A History Lesson & What Would Tom Silva Do?) :: WWTSD
The whole story here depicting the essence of mastery, maybe. I mean -- where the real skill comes in . . . with any, well . . . act. Like a writer...
Building a Tree Fort :: Its the Heart of the Matter and the Soul of It All :: An Essay
It was my time to begin what would be a lifetime of making things. A journey of thoughts put to hammer and nail. And an abstract eye was being developed that never...
Down the Laundry Chute :: Echos of Yesterday
And now, I am not saying they are especially girly, but as I am into my third week here -- I reflect and realize that my all-time most favoritist thing about my...
Old Square Nails :: Yes, Virginia, They Really Do Still Make Them
Most of us are familiar with the old square nails used centuries ago. We've seen them on display at museum homes, or historical society exhibits, or perhaps being hammered out by blacksmiths...
Sources Spotlight :: Budeke’s Paints – Paint History with One of America’s Oldest Paint Stores
To hear Bryan Koerber describe it, you would think he was there. We sold components, pigments in the form of pastes or powders - red lead, white lead; linseed oil; solvents like...
Paint Removal from Copper and Other Uses for Aluminum Foil :: Copper the Near Perfect Building Product
An ode to the near perfect building material, Copper. Plus, incorporating a common household product into a home improvement task. Yes, the Reynold's Wrap I had grabbed slyly from the kitchen counter...
Six Simple Machines in the Home :: Learn about Examples Found Around Your House
Simply put, a machine is anything that makes work easier. And a "simple machine" is defined as any device that requires the application of only one force to work. It is traditionally...