Dear Mason,

I have an 1860’s house on a wood foundation. Over time the wood around the perimeter has rotted. I suppose this is because the outside of the building gets wet from weather and irrigation. The floor and floor supports are fine, just the lower part where it touches the dirt is gone. Underneath the house it is bone dry and the wood supports are perfectly preserved. The net effect is that over time the outside walls have drooped a couple of inches while the core of the house has

Mason - just caught your blog. What a great idea. This question may or may not rank on your list.

Many older (pre-WWII) homes in the Fan and West End areas of Richmond were constructed and finished with high-quality materials of the time, such as millwork made from old-growth hardwoods. Obviously, not all of our homes are on the historic landmarks registry, but these homes have a certain charm and scale not often found in more modern homes. In remodeling or adding-on to such a home, how do you balance the need to preserve original

Something everyone should know about new or old bathrooms - ventilate!

As I see it, there are two reasons to have proper ventilation in a bath or powder room.  The first, to protect your home from excessive airborne moisture that will accumulate in the air during a tub bath or shower.  Moisture creates mold and deterioration of finishes and underlying structure.  Secondly, and even applicable to washrooms without showers, is the desire to exhaust (uhhh... how to politely say this?) unsavory odors which may occur from toilet use.

Bathrooms without windows are required by Code to have