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How to Remove Plaster and Lathe
Believe it or not, there’s a system to removing plaster and lathe from old walls and ceilings. Oh, sure, you could simply get your hammer or crowbar and start blasting away. But plaster and lathe demolition is horribly, horribly dirty. Horribly. You think you have the furniture in the next room protected with plastic sheeting? [...]
Continue reading...10 Things About My New Kitchen I Am Thankful For
14. June 2011
I’m taking my dear friend Carole’s suggestion. After a particularly harried day fussing over a plumbing cob job problem, Carole said, “Go get a cup of coffee and look at before and after pics of your kitchen and cheer yourself up…” Hey, who am I to pass up a cup of coffee?? So I did. [...]
Continue reading...Cemeteries and Private Property
13. January 2011
Did you know that in some municipalities, it is perfectly legal to use a portion of your property as a private family cemetery? I can’t remember where I read that last year, but I remember reading it, and being surprised. Some states are developing more stringent laws about burials on private lands. In early America, [...]
Continue reading...My Before, During, and After Story, Part 3
18. November 2010
This is the story of how we gutted our 1855 home’s kitchen and dining room. Read Part 1 and Part 2. I have thus far blogged about the kitchen renovation. Originally, gutting the kitchen was my only goal. In an old house, it is SO easy to get carried away with multiple projects, because there [...]
Continue reading...My Before, During, and After Story, Part 2
16. November 2010
Over the summer, we gutted our kitchen and dining room, and replaced the entire electrical system and water supply system. Read Part 1 of our story here. Redoing the electrical system in this house was harrowing, but not as harrowing as in 2007, when I had replaced the living room and bedroom wiring– for now [...]
Continue reading...You Can Do It, Yes, You Can!
22. March 2010
In my recent post about my new textbook, Lin from Duck and Wheel with String asked a question in her usual elegant and poised manner: Head gonna ’splode. Are you seriously gonna do that yourself??? Wow. Hee hee! I thought I’d post my response here (rather then have it buried in the comments), because I [...]
Continue reading...For You Curious New Readers
25. October 2008
Some new readers to my humble bloggy abode have recently been requesting photos and more information about our renovation work here. I haven’t done much renovation this summer, but last summer and the past few years, we worked hard on the gardens, exterior and basement work, and gutting the living room. I have tried to [...]
Continue reading...Mrs. Mecomber, Tear Down This Wall
28. June 2007
Well, the heat and humidity eased a bit today, enabling us to take down more of the wall surrounding the chimney. We’d already taken down a good portion of the plaster and lathe in the kitchen that surrounds the chimney. We’d removed plaster and lathe from one wall in the living room, but more had [...]
Continue reading...Good News, Bad News
26. June 2007
Well, the bad news is that we aren’t going to rip apart the whole place all at once. It is just too expensive and too messy for us to handle. Doing the house piece-meal has its drawbacks, but on the good side, we can go at our own pace and avoid debt. So right now [...]
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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...
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16. August 2011
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