With such big repairs as fixing the roof and foundation looming ahead of us, I was surprised at how much satisfaction was derived from replacing the water heater blanket this weekend. You may have read or heard my complaints about how the previous owners of our house were amateurish and/or inept in so many of […]

An old grapevine had been allowed to grow wild at the back of our lot. It had engulfed and killed at least one tree and was entangled in two others. It had also entwined itself in the back fence as well as a (used to be) decorative picket fence. The central mass of the grapevine […]

The first time we walked into what became our new house, we were impressed by some of the original Craftsman architectural details in the living and dining rooms. In addition to the built-in hutch, the fireplace flanked by built-n bookcases, and the crown molding, the sliding pocket doors separating the two rooms elicited a significant […]