That’s peak “old house surprise.” I swear, half the charm is just discovering what the last owner considered a repair. I once found a floor joist “rei...

I hear you about the vinyl wraps—mine started peeling after one summer, and it looked like my gutters were shedding their skin. Ended up scraping it a...

I hear you on the character—old hardwood just has that certain something, even if it’s a pain. I spent way too many weekends on my knees with a sander...

I hear you on the eye rolls—my plumber practically staged a walkout when I insisted on keeping the 1920s sink. Ended up spending about $10k, mostly be...

Ain’t that the truth. I thought I’d save my neck by skipping the pole sander once—bad idea. Ended up with popcorn ceilings in spots that weren’t suppo...

Same here—tried the rice trick once and just ended up with crunchy socks. Those tubs are the only thing that’s worked in my 1920s closet. Bonus: no mo...

Lanterns really are the unsung heroes. I tried those string lights with the rechargeable batteries—looked like a Pinterest dream for about five days, ...

Edison bulbs definitely nail that cozy vibe, but yeah, for reading or gaming they can strain the eyes a bit. I actually ended up adding some lantern-s...

We went vinyl plank in our historic cottage too, and honestly, I was skeptical at first—felt like we were betraying the old girl. 😂 But turns ...

Totally agree about glossy furniture—learned that lesson the hard way. Got this beautiful lacquered coffee table thinking it'd brighten up my historic...

Had a similar experience when we decided to "sweater up" our old Victorian a few years back. Thought spray foam would be our saving grace—until the mo...

Haha, cedar closets do smell heavenly, but agreed—humidity laughs in their face. My hundred-year-old house taught me ventilation beats fancy wood ever...

Gotta say, DIY is great and all, but when you're dealing with historic plumbing, things get a tad more complicated. I tried the whole faucet aerator t...