Walking through my Brookline neighborhood with Huey the rescue-but-what-have-you-done-for-me-lately dog this weekend, I stopped to admire the rehabilitation of a historic mansion that had been neglected for many years. The developer seems to have done a decent job, at...
A homeowner Mike in the Chicago area found us via this blog and after checking us out on Angie’s List called to pick my brain about primers. His predicament reminded me of the confusion that surrounds the use and purpose of primers before painting. He had been given...
Old New England homes, peeling paint and a permanent, lifetime paint coating? I don’t think so. This summer we embarked upon the restoration of a 200 year old farmhouse in Stow. Initially we had assumed our city pricing would be a deterrent but further conversation...
One of the earliest lessons I learned in painting was not to rush to apply the 2nd coat. Oil-primed exterior walls on a Brookline Victorian were taking forever to dry; the paint can label suggested 48 hours before recoating – I waited a full week then applied a...
They say eyes are the windows to the soul. In New England, windows are an integral and essential part of the vernacular of older homes. Compare the blank facade of a cookie cutter development home with its modern windows, faux mullions and shallow profile to the...
Exhibit A: the ceiling of a parlor in one of JFK’s childhood homes in Brookline. A well-loved room, filled with books, comfortable chairs and a working fireplace – this is my idea of nirvana. The clients obviously enjoy the fireplace, as evinced by the...
