The Cross House

    Next will be to finish off the column base I replaced a few weeks ago, and then to refinish the outer double entry doors. Dr. Doug refinished them in 2014, but the finish failed a while back. They have been flaking for years. I am going to sand them down, and then use…

The human brain is fascinating. It works even when we are asleep. As such, on occasion, when we first wake we might have a brilliant solution to a vexing problem, a warning, a new approach, and so on. I call these an EMA, or Early Morning Awareness. They tend to only work upon first reaching…

          I am soooooooooooo thrilled that I managed to find all these very simple, period-correct gas/electric fixtures, and an entire set of matching Holophane shades (kinda a miracle, really). The great magician, JR of Oregon, fully rewired the fixtures, converting all the gas jets to electric. He is the hero of…

So, y’all know this by now: If Ross does not get something right out of the gate, he will ponder ponder ponder, and fuss fuss fuss, until brilliance is acheived.       So, Ross pondered and pondered and pondered and realized two things: 1): The drapes need to hang higher. 2): There needs to…

                The drapes look terrible with the sofa, which doesn’t matter as the sofa will likely get moved to the Carriage House. And, yes, I need to steam the drapes. The drapes for the center window are being hemmed as they need to clear the radiator. I got…

    The ceiling looked fine. But, in pulling off the dangly bits, I could see that it had been repaired many times previously, and the whole covered with a thick sorta wallpaper. It looks like all the plaster will need to get removed, or reattached to the lath. I had not anticipated this.  …

            I’m not an expert on 1894 furnishing but perhaps an expert will bravely weigh in here? So, can y’all join me in a plaintive plea? Bo, Bo, where are you? Bo, Bo, where are you? The first set…I think…is circa-1904, a decade after the Cross House was built. Which…

I know, y’all are looking at the title and thinking: Huh? Background: About 15 years ago, on eBay, I scored a Cicatrices de Luxe 5 by FLOS, designed by Philippe Starck. It retails for $4,500. I think I paid $150.     I scored, in part, because the ceiling mount had been damaged. I figured…

    Several of you have commented that the door of the side-by-side will hit the sconce when it is opened. But this this will not happen with the swivel sconce pushed back, as seen above. Several of you have commented that a sconce in that location makes little sense, being stuck in a corner….

                  While the kitchen looks like a bomb has gone off in it, it is near-miraculous that I have been able to acquire what appears to be a matching set of period-correct figures, and a full set of matching Holophane shades. The great magician, JR of Oregon,…

Owning an old house means a never-ending tasks of maintainence. I keep a mental list of issues that need attending to. The problem? The list ever grows. My time never expands. But, while working on the NW corner, I have: repaired issues with the siding on the tower, replaced the rotten base of one column,…

                      The living room is next. Then all the repair work to the bits of original flooring. Then it all needs to sanded and finished. But…how long before I can lure Justin back? If ever?          

This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down…..                                                                  

                    I realized that the damage was not being caused by normal weather conditions (as I had assumed) but rather from water getting (somehow) into the column from the porch roof beam. The adjacent column is also damaged so an investigation is needed to figure out…