The Cross House

                                                                Fewer things give me greater pleasure. To take something which was lost, damaged, and seemingly worthless,  and restore it to its original beauty,…

  I have no idea why it failed. You can see plaster keyed between the lath strips. I had fully wetted the lath before applying the plaster. Perhaps the plaster dried too quickly?    

      I am leaving the old paint that will be hidden by the fridge. I know, bad Ross.But, I can always do this later; for now it will save me $$$$ and time. Two things precious to me. Kim suggested two kinds of sealers, which will protect the brick from grease, and give…

I forgot all about this really incredible post I did in 2021. If you missed it, you will really enjoy checking it out. If you read it in 2021, you will really enjoy reading it again. Make sure to click on the images. They enlarge.

                        Of all the things I have done to date on restoring the giant behemoth, and of all the things still needing doing, recreating the lost “extensions” in the south hall fills me with an absurd amount of joy. I don’t know why.  

  Once all the paint is off, and the white ‘efflorescence’ removed, I think I will need to apply some kind of sealer to the brick to really make it all pop. Suggestions?    

    The previous owner, Bob, installed the boilers. I am gonna guess at least twenty-five years ago. So, I have old boilers. When I purchased the house in 2014, #3 and #4 (right) did not work. I was able to have #3 repaired but was told that #4 needed to be replaced. I asked…

A theme in the kitchen of the Carriage House is…GREEN. This all started because of a post I did in way back in 2015. A lot of you loved this post. If you did not read it, you can here. The all-important Part II is here. Recently, Cody altered me to GREEN (Jadite) bits on…

Way back in 2017 I detailed, at great length, a discovery Bo and I made. You can read it here. This new post will not make much sense without first reading the 2017 post. Note: I have since recreated the lost east bump-out.       Last week, while visiting my beloved friend, Sara, who…

My last post about any work at the Cross House was 17 days ago. 17 days since I worked on the house or blogged about new work. This is unprecedented since my buying the properties in 2014 and starting this blog. A few days ago I managed to clean the stairs in the Carriage House….

I turn 68 today. Fuck.      

              It’s official. I am now a Peel Away convert!    

    These two applications will cost a not inconsiderable $100. Yikes. yesterday I ordered a 5-gallon container of Peel Away ($200) from Sherwin-Williams. I hope this will finish the chimney breast.