Three years ago I was struggling to get traction to begin a large renovation project in my house: the master bedroom and upstairs hall.  It was my last major project in the place so naturally I had been looking forward to it for seven years.  But I couldn't get the energy together to even make a lumber order. I knew why because it's not the first time I've been through it.  ...

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Brett recently wrote about biomass stoves and furnaces, and before that Scott weighed in on the pros and cons of pellet stoves. So I thought I'd provide a little background on the fossil fuel that preceded these newfangled methods of heating your home. Coal Heating: When Was It Common? When inspecting old buildings, there's often some evidence that it was heated with coal at one time. Even really old buildings, originally heated ...

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In response to Slate Roofs and Worn slate roofs - repair or replace, I’ve received many specific questions.  Several of the questions ask about what's under a slate roof.  Although not common practice throughout the US, older slate roofs in my area are frequently installed over spaced wood battens rather than solid planks.  These narrow strips of wood are nailed on, perpendicular to the rafters and each course of slates ...

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