The parlor of the 1894 Cross House, as now decorated, is a carefully crafted mix of discordant elements. I like discordant elements as they, in my experience, help bring a room alive. The trick though is the degree of discord. Too little and things just look dull. Too much and a room can appear a…

Previously, I posted about the built-in gutter adjacent to the towering north chimney. Over time, the immense weight of the chimney caused it to sink 2-1/2-inches. Eek! And this meant that the gutter no longer directed water horizontally, but rather over its edge. This. Is. Bad. And this meant that, over many decades, water leached…

Cody left today after a 10-day visit. We got a lot done, as Cody furiously worked on numerous lights so they could be listed for sale. Last week, we went to an antique store in nearby Cottonwood Falls, which I have not been to since Covid. Quickly, we amassed a large pile of lighting to…

Yesterday, I wrote about the stunningly creepy basement of the carriage house, and its scary you-know-Norman-Bates-lived-here studio apartment. Wanna see?                                                                        …

I will admit to something. Something shocking. Something despicable. But, I will only admit if you promise not to tell anybody. Promise????????   So, you know how much I love clean windows, and advocate for them. But…[Ross cringes]…I have never cleaned a single window in the carriage house since buying the property in 2014. I…

While the Cross House has remained…relatively speaking…largely intact during its 127-year-life, the adjacent carriage house has been through a lot. A lot. I knew none of this when I purchased the property in 2014. Indeed, I did not even know that the carriage house WAS the carriage house to the Cross House. The ensuing years…

Justin, Scott, and their assistant, Brock, were in the carriage house. An ear-piercing noise was heard and, as Justin later told me: “I was suddenly weightless! It was terrifying.” What happened? A Lally column in the basement had buckled and all the jacking up this past week, in an instant, fell back down to ‘normal’….

              At some point the carriage house was converted into three apartments: Studio in basement. First floor. Second floor. I am gonna guess that this alteration was done at such a point.     In addition, being able to close off the second floor will make a significant difference…

                Tomorrow, Cody arrives for a two week stay. He plans to jam the room full with some of his stuff.    

        Last week, it was uncertain if the floor sag could be eradicated or even improved. Today though…drum roll, please…it now seems obvious that the sag can be fully eradicated. We were able to reduce the sag by about an inch today! After the house settles a bit, we will jack up…

For the first time in over a year (due to Covid), the Cross House received visitors! Bill discovered the Cross House blog about four years ago, and read every post during a three-week marathon. He then put the house on his bucket list, and planned to visit in 2020. Well, y’all know how 2020 went!…

After buying the Cross House in 2014, I quickly identified three related issues which were a problem. However, I have ignored these issues ever since due to the assumed terrifying costs associated with resolving said issues. But…time now presses upon me. Sigh.   ISSUE ONE The carriage house has, quite sensibly, a 2-zone HVAC system….

    John wrote in with the correct answer: “I have seen ‘peaked’ joists under historic poured concrete and ceramic tiled floors–the upper surfaces of the joists were not just beveled, they came to ridges. I’ve read this treatment was to minimize cracking. I’ve also seen T&G boards nailed between those joists to create a…

NOTE: The carriage house is a tale of two houses. It was built in 1894. The main structure was a carriage house with, likely, a hayloft above. The north wing was the barn. Circa-1921, the whole was converted into a house, and the north wing was relocated to the east and became a kitchen. All…