This is NOT the ideal solution, which would be to remove the entire double frame and replace the sill, as was done with two windows in the SE corner. But there is no time to do this right now, so the metal sill will protect the house and buy me a few…

Last month, I did a post about perhaps, maybe, rethinking my kitchen plan. Perhaps. Maybe. What is driving this nagging pondering is this image:     My pondering involves these thoughts: How cool would it be to have an actual 1890s kitchen sink? How cool would it be to do something really unexpected in the…

      So, what is the taupe? It does not seem to be a paint layer. It is really thin, more akin to a stain. I am going to ask Frank about this mystery color. What is it? Is it some kind of sealer for the plaster?    

In January, 1894, shortly before Susan and Harrison Cross moved into their new home, along with their granddaughter, Mary, a reporter from the Emporia Gazette wrote a detailed article. A curious aspect of the article is that nothing about the decoration was mentioned. Nothing. There is no mention of colors, wallpapers, drapery, furniture, lighting, or…

Recently, I did a post about trying to ascertain the original colors of the 1894 Cross House kitchen, whereby I sent samples to Frank Welsh, who I have previously worked with. Today, Frank sent me the results!     So, the wood trim in the kitchen simply had an orange shellac finish. The plaster was…

                  While it all looks GREAT, the sun will cook everything and in a few years everything will not look great. This is NOT how to restore. This is only how to buy some time. Down the road I will have the entire window removed and rebuilt…

  Previously, I posted about discovering small, round, numbered brass tacks along side the window frames. These would have been matched by tacks on each screen/storm window. So, the latter could be removed, stored, and then put back in the right place. I love this kinda stuff. As I finish restoring each window, I gleefully…

  The stuff is like molasses. It is thick and you brush it on. It will seal SMALL leaks and SMALL holes. If you have a large holes or cracks, these first need some metal riveted on, and then you can brush on the molasses. I have no idea of how long the stuff lasts….

    Recently, I did a post about just how bad things were regarding the double-arched windows. Ideally, the whole needs to be removed entirely and much of it replaced with new wood and PVC. Yep, it is that bad. Instead, I am doing something I rarely do, and soooooooo do not enjoy doing: I…

I was up on scaffolding when some movement caught my attention. I looked around, and down. Oh! It was Lindy! Her father and grandfather owned the Cross House from 1929 to 1960. Lindy yelled up: “Can I mow your lawn?” Huh? Huh? “Why would you want to mow my lawn?” “I’m going crazy in lockdown…

A few days ago, my neighbor Brad came by the big house while I was up on scaffolding. “I’m an extrovert! This staying at home is killing me!” So, with him standing on the lawn, and with me on the porch roof, we safely conversed for an hour, during which he mentioned baking a lot…

  It rained all morning. Then the rain paused for a while. Which allowed me to work on the cornice above the scaffolding. Then it began raining again, but the huge overhanging cornice protected me. Then it began to crazy rain and I was forced back into the house. The area hidden by the tarp…

BIT ONE After years of wanting to — years of yearning, years of longing — I finally sent samples of the Cross House kitchen to be analyzed in order to determine the original colors!!!!!!!! Frank Welsh is doing the work, and he previously determined the original exterior wall color (which I had not quite gotten right). It…