Archive | thrift RSS feed for this section
Is Emergency Preparedness A Pipe Dream?
I’m reading this very old book, Historic Storms of New England. It was written by Sidney Perley and published in 1891. His narratives go back to the first recorded natural disasters of the year 1635, a mere 15 years after the Separatists (English Pilgrims) landed on the shores of Massachusetts in 1620. The book is [...]
Continue reading...How to Keep an Old House Cool in the Summer
27. May 2011
Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. before the 1970s malaise and even before the Industrial Revolution, most homeowners focused more on keeping their homes cool in the summer than warm in the winter. Back then, wood and coal were plenteous, and labor was cheap (not to mention that families had dozens of kids [...]
Continue reading...Finding Good CFL Bulbs
29. March 2011
The Old House Journal has a terrific article called How to Find Energy Efficient Bulbs That Don’t Suck: Nutrition Facts for Light Bulbs. Starting in January 2011 light bulbs are required to be labeled with lumens, watts, kelvins and efficacy. Greek to you too? Not worry. The label is now clear, easy to understand and [...]
Continue reading...Incandescent vs. CFLs
28. March 2011
In 2012, sales of incandescent light bulbs in New York State will be illegal. The bulbs nominated to fill the void: Compact Fluorescent Lights, or CFLs. The government’s Energy Star website says that CFL bulbs use “75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and lasts up to 10 times longer.” Honestly, I’ve been using CFL [...]
Continue reading...Plastics: The Good, the Bad, The Ugly
27. February 2011
I seem to be on a roll these days regarding plastics, toxins, and the environment. I am by no means a “tree hugger,” as I do feel that modern technology has its place. Modern advances in manufacturing, technology and health have significantly improved our lives. But I will say that profligate abuse of the good [...]
Continue reading...Snow Shovels and Planned Obsolescence
26. February 2011
The Husband and I are rather sensitive to planned obsolescence. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, see this post I wrote, Watch This Stuff. It’s a real eye opener! Planned obsolescence is that deliberate scheme by a manufacturer to intentionally build a product that will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a period of [...]
Continue reading...Pressure!
18. December 2010
Ever try scrubbing your home’s exterior siding or basement floor? NOT FUN. Our basement floods from time to time, leaving behind silty mud and a bad smell (not to mention that the cats make a total mess down there). One of my dreaded spring chores is to hose it out. I use my garden hose [...]
Continue reading...Appliance Repair Help Online
2. December 2010
I don’t know about you, but I hate paying extortion prices for appliance repair. My whole household is disrupted when one of the major appliances breaks down (I work full-time, so a disruption like that is a major headache for the family)– not to mention my budget. JUST to have the appliance repair dude step [...]
Continue reading...My Before, During, and After Story, Part 4
20. November 2010
This is the story of our renovation, the toils and victories through a sweltering summer of blood, sweat and tears. Read all the gory details of Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Our kitchen project was finally coming to a close. Yet even now, three months since we moved back in, there are many [...]
Continue reading...
I’m Rebecca
:) I’m a married mom of four teenage children. We live in Upstate New York. We bought an old 1855 home and acre property, over 10 years ago. We've been in the slow, agonizing process of living in the home while (trying) to renovate it. When I'm not renovating, I'm a freelance writer and blogger.
We've learned to dig a French drain, plant huge flower and vegetable gardens, wire a circuit panel, install furnace ducting, understand the enigmatic complexities of the plumbing system, and more. It's been *quite* the adventure.
You can read more about us here, read up on the history of the home, and read about what we've renovated so far. Thanks for visiting!
- Parging The Foundation Walls
- The Silent Summer: No Crickets, No Peepers!
- Building a Winter Cat Shelter
- The Tempurpedic Mattress Update
- How to Create a Serfdom
- Mrs. Mecomber: Marg-- good advice. At the time, however, we were ...
- blueyes: Okay, I remember reading this one already lol S...
- lin: Well, I guess licking mildewy windows is better th...
- Marg: You have your priorities backwards. You should sel...
- Mrs. Mecomber: Hi, Marcia. The counters are maple butcherblock. I...
Buttons
© 2012 New York Renovator. Powered by Wordpress.
5. November 2011
5 Comments