Old Houses

Old Houses A beautiful education.

How do I even begin cleaning this unit?The inside of my smoker is covered in grease, smoke buildup, and burnt-on drippin...
06/15/2026

How do I even begin cleaning this unit?
The inside of my smoker is covered in grease, smoke buildup, and burnt-on drippings, and I’m not sure what the safest or best way is to tackle it without damaging anything. The drip pan, door, walls, and racks all need serious help.
For anyone who has cleaned one this bad before, what products or tools worked best? Do I scrape it first, soak parts, run a burn-off, or use a degreaser? Any step-by-step advice would be appreciated because this thing definitely needs a deep clean.

Smoked up a prime rib and finally got to slice into it! I think it came out pretty good, but I’d love to hear what y’all...
06/15/2026

Smoked up a prime rib and finally got to slice into it! I think it came out pretty good, but I’d love to hear what y’all think 🥩🔥😋

Made this end tableFirst thing I've ever built
06/14/2026

Made this end table
First thing I've ever built

Is this baseboard install acceptable?Seems like a poor effort. Painter said too sloppy a job for him to make the seams l...
06/14/2026

Is this baseboard install acceptable?
Seems like a poor effort. Painter said too sloppy a job for him to make the seams look good.

How do I get myself out of this?I didn't math right, assumed board widths to be a full 5.5", and didn't pick up soon eno...
06/14/2026

How do I get myself out of this?

I didn't math right, assumed board widths to be a full 5.5", and didn't pick up soon enough on my impending cookedness. How best do I fix this? 16'x12' floating PT deck with picture frame, using camo screws. My spacing varies from 1/8" increasing to 1/4" as I realized my error. The last two boards on the right aren't fastened yet but there is about an inch of gap left over. What's the best way to fix this? I figure I either need to lift and adjust at around half the boards to 3/16 or 1/4 spacing to spread out the gap, or else I try to rip a 1" strip. Ripping a narrow piece doesn't seem practical but the idea of readjusting 12+ boards makes me weep. I'm also concerned about how secure the fasteners will be in the deck boards if they're reused. Could use some advice, thanks.

How much is my black locust worth to a sawmill?Should I tell the tree removal company to leave it? As always, banana for...
06/14/2026

How much is my black locust worth to a sawmill?
Should I tell the tree removal company to leave it? As always, banana for scale.

Did I get a good deal on this retaining wall?It's about 50 feet long. 2 feet tall at the lowest point, 4 at the tallest....
06/14/2026

Did I get a good deal on this retaining wall?

It's about 50 feet long. 2 feet tall at the lowest point, 4 at the tallest. Also leveled roughly 600 sq ft. Paid $10k for supplies and labor. First time having a project like this done...was that a fair price?

Neighbor had their fence installed today. Ours is the chain link, how assinine is this!!!😡🤬
06/14/2026

Neighbor had their fence installed today. Ours is the chain link, how assinine is this!!!😡🤬

To my neighbor who thought 10am on a Saturday was the perfect time to start installing sewer pipes in front of the house...
06/14/2026

To my neighbor who thought 10am on a Saturday was the perfect time to start installing sewer pipes in front of the house… I’ve got to admit, I was not prepared for that level of early morning construction. 😅
Some of us were definitely trying to sleep.
Waking up to loud banging and digging before noon on a weekend is… not ideal.
I’ve already reached out to the appropriate authorities about the noise, and I really hope it doesn’t continue, because weekends are supposed to be a bit more peaceful than that.
This used to be a pretty quiet neighborhood, so it’s been a bit of a shock seeing front yards turned into full construction zones with no real consideration for everyone else around.
Just feels like common courtesy has taken a bit of a backseat lately....,,,,
Unreal.

My cousin asked if I would help him build a casket for his dad,my uncle. He was a woodworker his whole life. Rush job so...
06/14/2026

My cousin asked if I would help him build a casket for his dad,my uncle. He was a woodworker his whole life. Rush job so it never did get a finish on it. Cherry on walnut with walnut live edge top !

Address

63 Wall Street
New York, NY
10005

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Old Houses posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Old Houses:

Shortcuts

Share