Clik here to view.
Moving
This is a blog about a married couple recently transplanted out of Brooklyn to the mid-Hudson Valley. This first post is just some quick background on how we got to where are. If you’re looking for...
View ArticleDays Gone By
One thing that becomes evident very quickly in the process of becoming a homeowner is that you can’t count on anything to proceed according to schedule. For example, our closing date for the house has...
View ArticleClosed
As of today, we are officially homeowners. The process has been sort of long and complicated (and the closing itself was a bit like an awkward first date). There should probably be a profession like...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Hidden Gems
Started to do some paint stripping in the living room today. All the molding and doors had been painted yellowish beige and I didn’t really know what we’d find underneath. We borrowed a heat gun from...
View ArticleHVAC Payment Plan
Other than actually buying this house, the cost of installing our new HVAC system is the biggest expense we’re taking on this year. In fact, the HVAC costs come out to more than our down payment (but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DIY Washing Machine Repair
One of the things that homeowners kept (urgently) telling us about homeownership is that the conveyer belt of repairs just never, ever ends. This is shaping up to be an accurate description of our...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Draft Resistors
Ever since the news that the inside of the house equals the outside of our house, climatically speaking, draft elimination has become my number one domestic priority. We could feel there was a ton of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lumpy the Snowman
The snow was too powdery for a proper snowman, but our friend Emerson helped Tina put this fellow together, complete with eyes made out of bona fide coal.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Under Pressure
Looks like we’re finally getting the formal results in from our energy audit, so we’ll be able to put together a real plan for air sealing and insulating. It was 4°F when we got up this morning, so...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Canine Companion
The population of Minnisingh grew by one this past Friday when we brought home our newly adopted dog from the Dutchess County SPCA shelter. We calling her Penny, but also keeping her shelter name...
View ArticleA Dog’s Breakfast
So. Dog food. Talking with our friend Andrew the other day about our new housemate, we happened on the topic of shopping for dog food. He pointed out that to observe the marketing of dog food is, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Training Day
Of all the many reasons we might procrastinate a bit about the various projects we have around the house, the vicious mongrel that lives in our house is at the top of the list. With a little over a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Chimney Problem
Like I said a couple weeks ago, the wood stove is at the top of our list for renovation projects. We’re hoping that getting some of our heat from wood will drive down our propane costs and keep at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
First Floor Bathroom
While we wait to get a professional action plan squared away for the chimney and wood stove, we decided to get moving on some DIY projects elsewhere in the house. The bathroom on the first floor is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pegboard
Along with home renovation comes an accumulation of tools and building materials. Until recently, we’d been keeping all of these things crammed in an overcrowded toolbox on the floor of our pantry and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Homemade Cereal
I don’t know how this obsession came about, but recently I’ve been craving cereal for breakfast. We don’t generally buy cereal. homemade oatmeal or muesli for us, but at work it’s nice to have a...
View ArticleWood Stove Tribulations
I will admit to feeling a little beaten down in our quest to install a wood stove. As you might have seen in a prior post, we found out that our chimney is currently in flagrant violation of building...
View ArticleUp North
Not much going on around the blog in the last couple of weeks. The main reason is that we were in Alaska for a week, taking a boat trip from Juneau to Ketchikan. For anybody who’s considered a trip...
View ArticleHoliday Charity Panic
A bit of an off-topic post here, and a long one, but it’s something important for which I have a degree of expertise as somebody who works with and for nonprofits. Coming up on both the holiday season...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Small Victory: Car Door Handle
When so many home projects end up being far more of a headache than you had ever expected, it can be really nice for a project end up way quicker and simpler than you thought it would. For a couple...
View Article
