Maintenance – Blake Hill House

ORC Week Two: Mistakes Were Made

One Room Challenge, Refinishing Hardwood Floors, Respectful RenovationApril 12, 20242KViews 3Likes 2Comments

Welcome back to week two of the One Room Challenge. As I write this, the stair treads are getting a makeover, so it seems like a good time to explain what went wrong the first time. This month, four years ago, I had the paint sanded off the stair treads for the first time. The…

Our Final Year in BHH

Exterior Projects, Living & Decor, Maintenance, Window RestorationApril 17, 20231KViews 0Likes 29Comments

I am not even going to attempt to bury the lede. A few weeks ago, I texted my realtor friend and asked her when we should consider listing BHH. She replied that the housing market starts to heat up in March. Because Western New York has such abysmal winter weather, house hunting comes to a…

What’s Next? Bob’s Poor Windows

Maintenance, Window RestorationJanuary 27, 2023349Views 0Likes 0Comments

Every summer for the past three years, I've been taking a few of my friend Bob's windows to repair. It's a long story about why I'm repairing windows for someone else when I've got about 100 of my own to finish here at BHH. The story includes Bob being pressured by his neighbors to replace…

How to Remove Window Sash

Video, Window RestorationJuly 7, 2022776Views 0Likes 0Comments

In this week's video, as part of Hot Sash Window Summer, I'll show you how to remove window sash for restoration and repair. Whenever I teach someone about how old double-hung wood windows work, one thing that often blows their mind is that the upper sash used to function. Pre-air conditioning, the upper sash came…

How to Open a Stuck Sash Window

Video, Window RestorationJune 8, 20221KViews 0Likes 0Comments

Hot Sash Window Summer is off to a good start. Last weekend, I posted a short Instagram Reel describing how to open a stuck sash window. While getting a lower sash open is quite a straightforward task, I thought a long-form YouTube video might make a good companion. Unfortunately, when I made the Reel, I…

#HotSashWindowSummer

Window RestorationJune 2, 2022370Views 0Likes 0Comments

Let a full summer of window restoration begin! Over the past couple of weeks on Instagram, I've been teasing Hot Sash Window Summer because outside of hosting True Tales From Old Houses, my primary job is window restoration education. So I'm excited to tell you that I've put 12 weeks' worth of content together for…