Moving forward with the old house restoration. Most of the paint and the backsplash is stripped in the kitchen. We’re ready to move on to the cabinets. We removed some drywall and uncovered something amazing. It has the potential to totally change the layout of the house. Had a totally off-the-wall idea, no pun intended, concerning old plaster walls. We also found something exciting in the basement that will make the restoration a bit faster. *Note: lead paint is a dangerous material. When dealing with it myself, I go very slowly and avoid creating dust. In most cases, any traces of paint adhere to the later latex paints and are effectively sandwiched between that and a very thin film of lime plaster. I do not touch my face or hair while engaged in this potentially dangerous activity. But I hold my own life cheap and don’t care if I live ten or fifty years more as long as this property remains with the family. I am but a link in a chain stretching back three hundred years. https://tunetank.com/t/227d/1108-nostalgic-memories https://tunetank.com/t/227d/5222-new-horizons ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1lh4KdVmZA

Civil War armies generally avoided active campaign. To survive the winter, the men would build their own shelters using whatever materials they could find.

Nothing intimates me more than the upcoming appraisal. Maybe it’ll be waived. Based on my luck, probably not. I’m terrified. Anxious. Sick to my stomach. It is the last major obstacle before us. Perhaps, once the dust settles(figuratively and literally), I’ll know enough to make a presentation covering old houses and appraisals. Until then, I’ll just plug away at every detail I can and try to enjoy as much of it as I can. Spring is upon us. Aside from an occasional cold rain, the weather is warming nicely. It’s in such weather than any able-bodied man with a reasonable degree of ambition turns his mind to returning to the field to make a steady living. Of course, my mind drifts to the many old places that need some attention. Stone walls that need reconstructed or repointed, plaster that needs patched, sagging or rotten floor joists, leaky roofs, deteriorated bricks, broken windows, the list seems endless. If you’re anywhere in the region of Cecil, Kent(MD and DE), New Castle, Chester, Delaware, or Lancaster counties, and need something done, send me an email at the link below. Free consultations, of course. Historic restoration is not nearly as expensive as most people seem to think. If it is, it shouldn’t be most of the time. If I can scratch out a living doing this work AND save pieces of history, that’s enough for me. hiraethrestorations@gmail.com Note: YouTube didn’t like the background music on my first attempt at uploading this. So, rather than miss out on the possibility of monetizing this content(unlikely to happen anytime soon), I made some selections that should cause no further trouble with old Mr. YouTube. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9AvB0VBDf4

Nothing quite as pleasant as beginning a new long-term project. In this case, a 19th Century springhouse, converted to a wheelwright shop, offers a unique look at life in early rural and industrial America. The floor is the first step for the sake of safety and making the rest of the work easier to manage. Without it, working off of a ladder would have made the work far more dangerous and difficult. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKbriVwI_kw