I’ll be blunt—solar’s never lasted more than a season for me, even the “good” ones. I get the appeal, but if you’ve got an old house like mine, runnin...

Tape’s more trouble than it’s worth in these old houses, if you ask me. Half the time, the trim isn’t even straight, so tape just highlights every wob...

You nailed it with the binder idea. I’ve had city folks contradict each other on the same day—one says my 1920s porch railing is “historic,” next guy ...

I get where you're coming from, but I wouldn’t bank on grass always surviving a chlorine dump. Maybe you got lucky, or your soil drains better than mi...

Honestly, I think those moisture-absorbing crystals and charcoal bags are just a temporary fix. In my old house, I tried them all—crystals, baking sod...

I’ve owned a 1920s place right on the coast for years, and I’ve seen every “miracle” product come and go. I get the appeal of spray-on membranes, espe...

I hear you on the hidden stuff—my place is over a hundred years old, and I’ve learned the hard way that “out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t fly with p...

That’s exactly what I ended up doing last year—my yard’s flatter than a pancake, and clay soil just laughs at any attempt to soak up water. Trenches a...

Good call on the sheer curtains—I did something similar in my old Victorian to soften the harsh afternoon sun. Mirrors can be tricky, especially in ol...

I get where you're coming from, but honestly, French drains aren't always the best solution—especially for older homes. My place was built in the 1920...

I get the appeal of landscape fabric, but honestly, I found it a pain when I tried it around my old Victorian. Roots from nearby trees kept pushing th...

I get your point about manufacturers maybe not testing enough in real-world conditions, but honestly, I think sometimes we homeowners expect a bit too...

Had permits lapse twice during our historic reno—city made us resubmit everything from scratch both times. Agree with above, definitely check for code...

Galvanized pipes...ugh, been there. Honestly, I'd rip them out sooner rather than later. Mine looked okay-ish from the outside, but inside was a rusty...