Old Town Home
Old Town Home is a blog dedicated to chronicling the successes and failures of an Historic Old Town Alexandria couple as they live in the charming historic district while attempting to completely renovate and appropriately restore an 1880s Victorian row house...almost entirely on their own.
Going Bananas for Maple Banana Yogurt
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- Published on Thursday, 04 April 2013
Authors: Wendy
Full disclosure: Not only doesn't this post qualify as "cooking," but I'd hardly even classify it as a recipe. Yet this astonishingly simple assembly of ingredients combines simple foods into a breakfast staple that's truly divine.
Since my move from sugary breakfast cereals into adulthood I've invested a tremendous amount...
Historic Masonry Repointing and Proper Mortar Selection
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- Published on Wednesday, 03 April 2013
Authors: Alex
In 1781, when speaking about the condition of homes in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson said,
"The inhabitants of Europe, who dwell chiefly in houses of stone or brick, are surely as healthy as those of Virginia. These houses have the advantage too of being warmer in winter and cooler in summer than those of wood; of being cheaper in
...Our DIY Shame - We Hired a Pro Contractor
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- Published on Monday, 01 April 2013
Authors: Alex
It's no secret that Wendy and I have been more or less swamped at work over the last few months. Sadly, the more time we need to spend at our day job, the less time we have to commit to our various renovation projects. This sad fact shows us that we have somehow, and quite disgustingly, turned into adults with actual responsibilities....
Master Bedroom: A Look Back, Start to Finish
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- Published on Friday, 29 March 2013
Authors: Wendy
Over the last few months we recapped the various phases of our Master Bedroom project. From start to finish the whole project took over a year, required us to sleep in the guest bedroom, inconvenienced us tremendously, challenged us completely, and caused several nights of head scratching to figure out how to approach each...
Ugh. Can I Just Vent Today?
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- Published on Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Authors: Alex
Ugh.
That's about all I have to say right now. Ugh, with a capital U!
We've been feeling like we keep taking one step forward only to have something break and end up two steps backwards. Last week we complained that we felt like there has been something working against us (or at least our DIY mojo) with our various projects. While our...
Toolbox Tuesday: A Hammer Drill Likened to a Highly Evolved Deep Sea Fish
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- Published on Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Authors: Alex
There comes a time in your project or renovation life where you develop a certain comfort with the tools you have. You may not own every tool you need or want, but you're able to make do with the ones you own, making them work for the tasks at hand, even if they aren't quite ideal.
The cordless drill I received for Christmas 2002,...
Open Housing: The Rumble in Rosemont - Part 2
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- Published on Monday, 25 March 2013
Authors: Alex
Last week we introduced a spacious and recently renovated home to you in the first part of our Rumble in Rosemont series. That same weekend we also toured another house located just about four houses down the block. This second home, though a similar size, price point, and age as the first home, is significantly different in just...
Open Housing: The Rumble in Rosemont - Part 1
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- Published on Thursday, 21 March 2013
Authors: Alex
This past weekend Wendy and I took a little time out of our hectic schedules to do as we often do on Sundays and visit a few open houses. While we tend to gravitate to various Old Town houses, friends of ours are somewhat smitten with the nearby Rosemont neighborhood. Rosemont is a neighboring neighborhood of Old Town and is just a...
Bringing Home Vacation Souvenir Art that Only Looks Expensive
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- Published on Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Authors: Wendy
Is there really anything better than a long, relaxing vacation? Think of the time away from the office, a break from home projects and responsibilities, and the opportunity to explore and enjoy another part of the world near or far from home. But vacations can be expensive, and as much as I often want to bring back a...
Toolbox Tuesday: Cutting to the Chase on Circular Saws
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- Published on Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Authors: Alex
A few days ago a friend and I were discussing various tools (a riveting conversation, I assure you), and he asked me a seemingly simple question. "Just how many powered saws do you own?" I started to think about it and count it up in my head and I was pretty well floored.
From the bigger saws I immediately think of, like my table...
