Kit will tell you that I am relentlessly dogged in my determination to get minute details right whether it be for our house, my job, or graphic design. If I set my mind to something, or become interested in a particular type of building material, I will completely dive down the rabbit hole learning everything I can and digging up any old documentation possible. This has manifested itself in many ways when it comes to our perfect little money pit.
Continue readinghistoric preservation
History Part 2.1 – Fred P Tosch and The Master Model Home
Over the last few years of owning the house, I have become pretty obsessed with researching and reading everything I can find about the builder and reputed designer of our house, Fred P. Tosch. Last year I was able to share my obsession with others through a modest illustrated talk I gave on Mr. Tosch at a local historical society. I was approached earlier this year by Historic Brighton about giving an updated talk this coming spring on Tosch that was to be accompanied by an article. Since this forced me to finally put something down in writing about Tosch, I thought it was about time I continued my history post series from a few years ago, so here it goes… Continue reading
Kitchen Progress Episode 1
One of the key selling points of our house…for me atleast…was that it still had its original kitchen. During the ensuing years since our purchase, I have only come across 4-5 other houses (1-2 a year) that still have their original culinary cabinetry intact through my obsessive observation of the Rochester real estate market. It had a leaking utilitarian faucet, was slathered in green paint, its hardware had been replaced in the 1950s, and there were only about three feet of useable counter…but it was original!!! Continue reading
Garage Rehab Phases 1, 2, and 2.5
Outbuildings are a sorry lot. They generally are “creatively” constructed, receive the least maintenance attention, and often undergo heavy use. There are countless garages throughout Rochester that were built on a shoe-string budget 100 years ago that gently lean or twist in the direction of the prevailing winds or sink toward an improperly routed downspout. Many have not seen a coat of paint in decades, some have half-rotten vehicle doors, while others have boarded up windows. Back when we were house shopping, nearly every house in our budget had a garage that was afflicted by one if not many of these conditions. Continue reading
Rehabbing the Radiators
It’s been bitterly cold this week with lots of snow after near spring like conditions began to force some early bulbs to flower last week…thanks upstate New York. What better time to talk about the incremental saga of tuning, upgrading, and rehabbing our steam heating system.
Our house was originally outfitted with a cutting edge American Radiator Company steam heating system comprising of an Ideal Redflash Boiler and Corto radiators. I have a strong affection for Corto radiators, Continue reading
My Perfect Little Money Pit 