True Tales From Old Houses

13/04/2026

In this week’s episode, I’m catching you up on what’s happening at Blake Hill House, including this summer’s window restoration workshops, and walking through my outdoor spring to-do list. I also introduce a new Good, Better, Best Q&A format to work through common old house challenges, and wrap up with a few thoughts on renaming the Minisode.

🎧 Listen to 183: Spring at Blake Hill House, wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts or via the website link in bio.

Thank you to the small businesses that support the show:

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off, and orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🏠 The Old House Shop – shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and gifts for people who somehow bring old houses into every conversation. Use code OLDHOUSELIFE for 10% off (excluding books). oldhouseshop.com

07/04/2026

In this week’s episode, I’m talking about deal-breakers.

I asked you, over on my personal Instagram and Facebook, what would make you walk away from an old house, and your answers weren’t just about cost or condition. A lot of it came down to timing, lifestyle, and what you realistically have the capacity to take on when the opportunity shows up.

In this episode, I broke down those responses and talked with Michelle from the 1.3 million-follower Facebook group, Old House Life. Her experience added a real-life counterpoint. She started Old House Life as a hobby, took a leap of faith on her first old house, and now owns multiple historic properties. Michelle often takes on projects that plenty of us might initially walk away from.

Together, it’s a good reminder that deal-breakers aren’t always as fixed as they feel.

🎧 Listen to 182: Deal-breakers & Old House Life, wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts or via the website link in bio.

Thank you to the small businesses that support the show:

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off, and orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🖌️ Repaint Studios – the reusable paint tray liner + lid that keeps paint fresh for weeks and cuts down on waste. Use TRUETALES10 for 10% off. • repaintstudios.com

music by AudionautiX

01/04/2026

In this week’s episode, I brought in guest co-host Steve Jordan, and we followed a bit of a road-trip rabbit hole that starts with the Grange.

First, we talk about how rural communities gathered, Grange halls, social events, and the role these spaces played beyond farming.

Then, that leads us straight into Steve’s niche obsession: sprung dance floors. He literally wrote the book on them, and we get into how these surprisingly clever systems worked long before modern materials.

Finally, we wrap up with a quick State of Restoration check-in, including what Steve is seeing in Rochester. There’s a strong interest in saving old buildings, but a real shortage of skilled tradespeople to do the work.

🎧 Listen to 181: From Grange Halls to Sprung Floors, wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts or via the website link in bio.

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off, and orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🏠 The Old House Shop – shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and gifts for people who somehow bring old houses into every conversation. Use code OLDHOUSELIFE for 10% off (excluding books). oldhouseshop.com

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27/03/2026

This episode starts with Gilded Age mansions and ends with a lot of messages in my DMs.

For a time, some of the most over-the-top houses in Newport were almost lost when the world around them changed, and no one knew what came next.

We’re in a different chapter of that same story right now.

I talked with Rob Cagnetta from and about what’s happening with lead safety laws in Rhode Island, why there was so much confusion, and what it actually means for anyone who owns or manages a building with historic windows.

What started as a window issue turned into something much bigger. Field tests uncovered that some lead contamination might not be coming from inside the house at all.

The good news is that there are new resources available (link in bio)

What’s happening in Rhode Island may not stay in Rhode Island.

If you own an old house, work in preservation, housing, or building performance, this is a really important episode. Please share it with someone else who needs it.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at the link in bio

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Thank you to the small businesses that support the show:

🪵 Sutherland Welles – https://sutherlandwelles.com
Code: TRUETALES26 (10% off your first order)

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – https://linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – https://heritagesupply.com
Code: TRUETALES10 (10% off + free shipping on orders $250+)

🎨 Repaint Studios – https://repaintstudios.com
Code: TRUETALES10 (10% off)

Music by AudionautiX

18/03/2026

18/03/2026

In this week’s episode, I brought in guest co-host Scott Sidler for some old house shop talk.

First, we talk about what I’m seeing from the new State of Restoration project, with updates from Toledo and New Orleans, while Scott shares what’s happening in Florida. The outlook there is… not great. 😬

Then, we get into infrared paint removers. We chat about how they work and the pros and cons of different options. There are several choices, and they are not all the same.

Finally, we wrap up by brainstorming new names for the minisodes, and Scott comes up with a couple that might actually stick!

🎧 So grateful for this community and the stories we’ve shared. Listen to 179: Tool Talk: Infrared Paint Removers wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts or via the link in bio.

Thank you to the small businesses that support the show. We couldn’t do it without them.

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off, and orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🏠 The Old House Shop – shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and gifts for people who somehow bring old houses into every conversation. Use code OLDHOUSELIFE for 10% off (excluding books). oldhouseshop.com

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Music by audionautix

10/03/2026

Wait… since when is that historic?

This week, in episode 178, I’m talking about the 50-year rule and the realization that some buildings we still think of as “modern” now qualify as historic. Then Sarah from 1957 House Down South joins me to share the story behind her mid-century modern restoration. I also report back from a visit to the Kohler museum, where I finally saw those famous vintage bathroom colors in person.

The math says historic. Some of us are still catching up.

🎧 So grateful for this community and the stories we’ve shared. Listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts or tap the link in bio.

Thank you to the small businesses that support the show — we truly couldn’t do it without them.

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off. Orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🖌️ Repaint Studios – the reusable paint tray liner + lid that keeps paint fresh for weeks and cuts down on waste. Use TRUETALES10 for 10% off. • repaintstudios.com

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03/03/2026

Winter won.

Again.

I’m in the mood for spring. Instead, I’m stuck talking about ice dams, insulation questions, and the uncomfortable realization that there is no magic fix for any of it. In this episode, I discuss what failed, what it cost, and the DIY mistake I made that helped create the whole mess.

We’re also checking in on the State of Restoration project and continuing the effort to rename these not-so-mini minisodes. I still need your help.

If you’ve ever watched Mother Nature undo your hard work, this one will feel familiar.

🎧 So grateful for this community and the stories we’ve shared. Listen wherever you enjoy your favorite podcasts or via the link in bio.

Thank you to the small businesses that support the show. We couldn’t do it without them.

🪵 Sutherland Welles – beautiful polymerized tung oil finishes I reach for again and again. Use code TRUETALES26 for 10% off your first order. • sutherlandwelles.com

🎨 Brouns & Co. Linseed Oil Paint – traditional paint made with slow-boiled flax oil and natural mineral pigments. It ages beautifully and lasts for decades. Trusted by preservation pros and homeowners who value authenticity. (Featured in Ep. 164) • linseedoilpaint.com

🪟 Heritage Supply Co. – your go-to source for window restoration supplies (formerly The Craftsman Store). Use code TRUETALES10 for 10% off, and orders over $250 ship free. heritagesupply.com

🏠 The Old House Shop – shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and gifts for people who somehow bring old houses into every conversation. Use code OLDHOUSELIFE for 10% off (excluding books). oldhouseshop.com

25/02/2026

I might get myself into trouble with this one.

I absolutely believe we’re stewards of historic homes. We don’t get to bulldoze character just because we pay the mortgage.

But if we only call ourselves “caretakers”… do we accidentally keep one foot out the door?

A house can be historic and be fully ours while we live there.

We can honor it and settle into it.

We can rehab or restore it and call it home.

Maybe this is coming from someone who’s moved a lot in life, but I don’t want to spend my years half-living somewhere anymore.

What’s your take? Am I in trouble with the old house community now? 😀

The full conversation, with all the nuance, is in Episode 176 of True Tales From Old Houses.