Monthly Archives: August 2012

First, acquire a home with a large Jacuzzi tub. Turn off the water supply.  Remove kitchen sink for eventual replacement.  Remove aging water heater.  Remove chimney.  Abate asbestos-wrapped pipes.  Replace heating plant and hot water tank.  Seal off the open … Continue reading →

The furnace, or more properly, the boiler, since this is the term used to describe the heating plant that generates hot water for heating a house, has now been replaced.  The previous unit had held up for half a century, … Continue reading →

It had resisted the best efforts of many; and the “cat perch” remained.  This design feature had served as a home for a stuffed gorilla when I first toured the house, and provided the entry for a “tunnel” into the … Continue reading →

I’ve always preferred gas stoves for cooking, but I recognize that electric ranges have their place.  Some people worry about the gas leaking, or incomplete combustion and inadequate ventilation, but I find the instant-on, instant-off, immediate heat control with no … Continue reading →

In addition to the large scale projects I am undertaking, there are some minor changes to make.  The bedroom is small, which is ok– a place to sleep and sometimes to languish, apart from the other active and public areas … Continue reading →

I have been flattered at some of the responses to my posts in this blog, and some of my readers actually want to know when I have something more to say.  I’m always skeptical at this level of interest, but … Continue reading →

Britain abandoned its measurement units in favor of the metric system long ago, leaving the US as the only industrialized country still using them.  There was a moment of opportunity in the seventies for us to join the modern world, … Continue reading →

When I discovered that the cost of removing the chimney was the same as repairing it, a whole new set of possibilities opened up.  I decided to remove the chimney, at least the upper portions of it, in order to … Continue reading →

It was one of many defects in the house identified by Inspector 7, not exactly hidden, but easy to overlook, given that large catchall category that so many other defects fell in.  The  annoying problems of inadequate home maintenance like … Continue reading →