Grow Marigolds! They Are Awesome!

Every garden can use Marigolds. Find out these fun facts about why you need to add marigolds

Grow Marigolds… Let’s be honest, marigolds seem kind of out-dated. Yellow or orange balls of flowers you can get for $1 at big box stores. Sure they add some color, have a slightly strange scent, and weather neglect pretty well, but in reality they are just kind of the bland work horses of the garden. They are like the grandma of flower gardens and I resisted growing them for years!  Except they AREN’T outdated; marigolds are awesome! Grow Marigolds First, let’s just discuss the plant itself. Marigolds (or Tagetes for you Latin purists) are native to North and South America. … Read more…

Upcycling to Make an Adjustable DIY Pulley Light Fixture

Boat cleat used as an anchor for an adjustable pulley light.

When we first moved into our 1927 home in Asheville, one of the first things we noticed was the severe lack of electricity.  Not that electricity was entirely absent, but by today’s standards, there wasn’t much for us to work with.  There were no outlets in any of the bathrooms, bedrooms had two outlets placed in what seemed like after-thought locations, and all rooms (regardless of size) were only wired for a single ceiling or wall light fixture. Our new master bedroom was easily twice the size of the one we had just moved out of, but the outlet placement and … Read more…

How To Make Galvanized Pipe Curtain Rods

Tee ceiling mount pipe curtain rod

In our previous house we used black iron pipe for almost every single fixture. From pipe curtain rods to toilet paper holders we made them all.  Black iron pipe curtain rods were economical, easy to install, and fit the industrial decor of the previous home.  Once we moved down the street to a 1927 fixer upper we just didn’t feel the black iron was doing it for us.  Still it is hard to beat the price of a pipe curtain rod… Especially when you are looking at putting curtains and blinds over 54 windows (le sigh).  In comes our fancy … Read more…

Replacement Windows, The Finished Project Before and After

1927 house after replacing 52 windows

If you have been following along with our vinyl replacement window saga than you are probably more than ready to see the final product.  Here are some shots of what it looks like to have 52 original single hung windows replaced with new vinyl casement windows.  If you are interested in the process of having replacement windows installed you can read all about the process in the below pages.  Hopefully, all the information provided will allow you to circumvent some of the issues we had with installation of our replacement windows. Oh and for full disclosure.  We paid for all … Read more…

Capping A Metal Alternative to Finishing your Windows: Got Lead? Got Ugly? Capping Can Help

Mitered corners in plain frame metal capping.

As mentioned prior, we opted to have metal window capping, also know as metal window cladding, installed with our vinyl replacement windows.  Would metal capping be a good finish for your replacement windows?  Well that all depends on the look you are trying to achieve and if you have an older home and want to decrease lead exposure and abatement costs. In our case we wanted to decrease the potential for lead paint exposure in our 1927 home.  We did not bother to test for lead we just went with the assumption that there was a good potential in our … Read more…