Butcher block always looks so dreamy in those staged photos, but I learned the hard way that real life is a lot messier. Years ago, I put in a maple b...

Ain’t that the truth. I swear, every time I open up a wall in this old house, it’s like a time capsule of questionable decisions. When I tried to fini...

Funny you mention the vintage insulation—ours had old Sears catalogs stuffed in the walls, which I guess was the 1920s version of fiberglass? I get te...

I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had my old deadbolt freeze up on me one winter—literally couldn’t get the key in. Ended up having to...

That’s spot on. In my old house, I swapped out a heavy wool blanket for a lighter cotton one and suddenly the whole bedroom felt airier—didn’t even re...

I hear you on not sweating the small stuff, but owning an old place has made me a bit more stubborn about details, even in out-of-the-way spots. Thing...

Louvered doors made a world of difference in our upstairs closets. Not the prettiest, but honestly, I’ll take ugly over that swampy smell any day. We ...

I’ve actually used one of those fake rocks before—picked it up at a yard sale, thought I was being clever. Turns out, my neighbor’s kid found it withi...

Had a similar situation last year with my old place. I was pretty bummed at first, but after hashing it out with the inspector, we actually landed on ...