Oronoque Saltbox Requiem
It’s been just about seven weeks since I’d published Imminent Historic Teardown, an account of an historic home in Stratford, Connecticut, nearing its demolition by commercial developers. On October...
View ArticleNapalm Girl and ACI 2013
I won’t be attending the 2013 ACI National Home Performance Conference next spring in Denver, Colorado, even though I was totally planning to. In fact, I’m boycotting it. Or, rather more precisely,...
View ArticleSnow Screeding Fluffy Slabs
Today (Tuesday, December 4th, 2012) marks the 226th anniversary (1786) of one of the worst New England snowstorms of recorded history. Snow began falling heavily around midday, and was driven by a...
View ArticleVintage Wooden Drawer Repair
This week, several of my favorite designer-blogger friends are on Modenus’ Blog Tour Cologne 2013, taking in the culture and Gothic architecture of Cologne, Germany, while learning more about their...
View ArticleHistoric Cut and Drop
Yesterday, I had seamless gutters made for the Mansfield House. Ray from Advanced Seamless Gutters of Milford, Connecticut, stopped by and cut me two 42′ lengths of K-style extrusion, and also dropped...
View ArticleBlizzard Of 2013: Part I
Some called it Winter Storm Nemo. Others called it the Blizzard of 2013, the Nor’easter of 2013, or Storm Charlotte. Call it what you will…but this February snowstorm is bound to be included in the...
View ArticleBlizzard Of 2013: Part II
Today was the second day following the Blizzard of 2013, and despite the valiant efforts of many homeowners in our neighborhood at cleaning up pathways, it’s now starting to feel like we’re quite...
View ArticleCapturing Historic Architectural Detail in SketchUp
In the very first Connecticut houses, architectural detail was minimalistic and strictly utilitarian. But even the earliest colonists wanted their homes to look good, so in time, both interior and...
View ArticleFeed Me Some Feedly
Many of you are probably aware of Google’s recent announcement to decommission their Google Reader product on July 1st, 2013. I’m first to admit there’s something a bit dated and clunky about RSS...
View ArticleJLC Archive on USB Flash Drive
Bet you never thought of a USB flash drive as a construction tool. Or better yet, as a knowledgeable journeyman. I never would’ve either, until my copy of the JLC Archive on USB Flash Drive arrived a...
View ArticleVolunteers Sought To Save Peter Tufts House (c. 1680)
The Medford Historical Society, of Medford, Massachusetts, is looking to quickly assemble a team of volunteers to manage the stabilization of the Peter Tufts House (c. 1677-1680), one of the oldest...
View ArticleIntroducing Historic Home Surveys Online
This month, I’m pleased to announce my first installment of what I hope is a long-term project of some significance: A new online archive of surveys of historic Connecticut homes — mostly 18th century,...
View ArticleAn Open Letter To Mr. William Farrell
Mr. William Farrell Vice President Milford Historical Society Dear Mr. Farrell: If you truly had been motivated by a desire to rescue and restore the Thomas Sanford/ David Bristol House, at 111-113...
View ArticlePrayer Spring Farm
Last fall, I wrote extensively about a Georgian saltbox in the Oronoque community of Stratford, Connecticut, that was facing demolition. My two main articles about this house were Imminent Historic...
View ArticleEmail Your Support For The Sanford-Bristol House
Milford Preservation Trust, Inc. is sending this letter to all current members, past members and potential members asking for your support in helping preserve the Sanford/Bristol house. This house is...
View ArticleCampbell Homestead (c.1784) Now Slated for Demolition
What the hell is going on here? Why are today’s heirs of “Still Revolutionary” Connecticut so determined to destroy the very few, remaining vestiges of our Revolutionary era? That was my reaction,...
View ArticleProfessor Collier: Save Sanford-Bristol House
University of Connecticut Professor Emeritus of History, and former Connecticut State Historian, Christopher (“Kit”) Collier, yesterday published a letter in the Connecticut Post, calling for Milford...
View ArticleSanford-Bristol House Links
Below is a collection of links to various online resources for the threatened Sanford-Bristol House (c. 1790) of Milford, Connecticut, including news articles, blog postings, letters to the editor,...
View ArticlePhil Russo On The Sanford-Bristol House
[Editor's note: Phil Russo, an original member of the Milford Presentation Trust, had recently provided me his commentary on the threatened Sanford-Bristol House (c. 1790) of Milford, Connecticut,...
View ArticleBucket Head Rocks!
Bucket Head™ is one of those simple inventions that makes you wonder how you’d previously gotten along without it. Marketed by Home Depot, it’s a small wet/dry vacuum head that snaps on top of their...
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